Chilean telescope is operational again after cyber attack
The ALMA telescope in Chile is finally back up and running after spending two months out of operation due to a cyberattack.
ALMA, short for Atacama Large Millimeter Array, has been out of service since October 29, when it suffered a serious cyber attack against its computer systems, which shut down servers and computers in operation.
The October cyberattack on the facility was extensive, halting all astronomical observations and leaving the telescope with no website and limited email service.
ALMA Director Sean Dougherty spoke about the incident and the team’s efforts to get back online.
“Our top priority after the attack was to resume scientific observations,” he said.
“An enormous amount of work was required after the recovery of the computer systems to perform the full end-to-end testing.”
These tests would be necessary before the telescope would return to service due to the precision needed when calibrating and operating it.
“It has been an enormous challenge to rebuild our systems to safely conduct observations again,” Dougherty added.
The ALMA telescope is an astronomical interferometer designed to observe electromagnetic radiation using 66 radio telescopes together.
The telescope is the most powerful in the world for observing molecular gases and dust and is designed to produce data on planetary systems and the composition of nebulae, galaxies and the origins of life.
It is operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), an intergovernmental research organization that operates some of the largest telescopes in the southern hemisphere.
The ALMA observatory also issued a statement about the attack on its systems.
“IT staff took immediate countermeasures to prevent loss and damage to scientific data and IT infrastructure,” they said.
“In the coming weeks, the focus will be on recovering infrastructure and test systems such as the ALMA website and other services, which will allow the recovery of all existing functionalities before the cyber attack.”
The telescope attack is a timely reminder that cybersecurity concerns should not be ignored in the space and science sectors.
With large sectors of the space industry being critical to defense activities as well as critical civil infrastructure such as GPS, telecommunications, weather forecasting and Internet access, it is imperative that the industry remains alert and well prepared against cyber attacks. .
Australian government and defense entities have increasingly focused on the issue of cybersecurity in the space sector, with the Australian government labeling space assets “critical infrastructure” and refocusing efforts to protect these vital assets.
