If you think your maritime satellite terminal is safe from hackers, give Ken Munro a call to make sure. He’s probably already found a backdoor to your system on the internet. 

Ken is the founder of Pen Test Partners, a network security consultancy firm, as well as a widely respected and very entertaining public speaker on all topics cybersecurty. His presentations include live hacks on local devices, hotel keycards, keyless cars and a range of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, including wearable children’s toys. Ken travels the world, sharing his disdain for device vendors that fail to secure their technologies in order to protect their potential customers. 

We sat down with Ken following his keynote at the 2019 OilComm conference in Houston, Texas, to discuss his recent fascination with the commercial space industry, specifically due to what he sees as a concerning lack of security for satellite ground systems. Ken explains his recent work with the commercial satellite industry and shares some ideas on how satellite companies can help better secure their networks in the constantly evolving IoT ecosystem.  

The episode also features a replay of the second half of Ken’s keynote at OilComm, which presented the results of a satellite terminal hack for the oil and gas industry. It’s a funny, enlightening, and at times, terrifying presentation packed with some good advice for those who are unsure of their ground systems’ cyber defenses.