Unencrypted Satellite Backhaul Exposes Data

UC San Diego and University of Maryland researchers intercepted unencrypted geostationary satellite backhaul with an $800 receiver, capturing T‑Mobile users’ calls/texts, in‑flight Wi‑Fi traffic, utility and oil‑platform comms, and even US/Mexican military information. They estimate roughly half of GEO links they sampled lacked encryption and they only examined about 15% of global transponders. Some operators have since encrypted, but parts of US critical infrastructure still have not. — This reveals a widespread, cheap‑to‑exploit security hole that demands standards, oversight, and rapid remediation across telecoms and critical infrastructure.