Satellites are leaking the world’s secrets: calls, texts, military and corporate data

undefined 14, 2025

Source: wired

A team from the University of California team revealed that about half of geostationary satellite communications, including sensitive telecom, corporate, infrastructure, and military data, are sent unencrypted, allowing anyone with ~$800 in equipment to intercept them. Over three years, researchers collected phone calls, texts, airline Wi-Fi data, power grid communications, and even military locations from satellites above North America. Many firms encrypted transmissions after being warned, but large amounts remain exposed, posing major global cybersecurity risks.

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