A group of amateur researchers with $800 worth of equipment just exposed military communications. No one was given a voice for permission. They just... received signals. The Setup That Shouldn't Work Researchers from UC San Diego and the University of Maryland spent $800 total on off-the-shelf equipment: $185 - Satellite dish $140 - Roof mount $195 - Motor for positioning $230 - Tuner card They mounted this setup on a UC San Diego building in La Jolla, California. Over 7 months, they intercepted communications from 39 satellites—about 15% of the 590 geosynchronous satellites orbiting Earth. What they found was... alarming. What Was Exposed Cellular Backhaul (T-Mobile) Unencrypted calls, SMS messages, user internet traffic Hardware IDs (IMSI) Cellular communication encryption keys This occurred when calls were routed through cell towers in remote areas connected via satellite. T-Mobile quickly enabled encryption after disclosure. Military and Government Communications U.S. and Mexican military ships and units Unencrypted VoIP and internet traffic Unencrypted military systems with detailed tracking data for coastal vessel surveillance Law enforcement operations, including personnel records Aircraft and ship locations with repair schedules In-Flight Wi-Fi Intelsat and Panasonic providers Passenger web browsing (DNS lookups and HTTPS traffic) In-flight entertainment audio (news shows, sports) Encrypted pilot flight-information systems (the only thing properly secured) VoIP Providers Multiple providers using unencrypted satellite backhaul exposed: Unencrypted call audio and metadata Caller and recipient information Timestamps and duration data Internal Corporate Networks Walmart Mexico: Unencrypted internal corporate emails, sales data Financial and banking companies: Login credentials, ATM networking information Retail companies: Inventory records Critical Infrastructure Power utility companies supporting remotely operated SCADA infrastructure Oil and gas pipelines Power grid repair tickets Mexican Telecommunications TelMex and WiBo: Phone numbers for both parties, unencrypted voice data, smartphone activity (TikTok, Apple iCloud, Samsung app store access) Mexican government agencies (military, law enforcement) The Scale of Exposure A single satellite transponder's data may be visible from up to 40% of Earth's surface. Organizations believed their satellite traffic was part of their internal private network. In reality, it was being broadcast continent-wide to anyone with $800 and a rooftop. How It Happened Initial Setup: The team installed their satellite dish system to study how well geostationary satellite communications were encrypted Passive Monitoring: They developed custom software to automate satellite scanning and signal decoding Unexpected Findings: When researcher Dave Levin first intercepted private citizens' voicemails and text messages, he asked: _"Did we just commit a felony? Did we just wiretap?"_ Legal Confirmation: University lawyers confirmed they had broken no laws by passively receiving publicly broadcast signals Responsible Disclosure: The team contacted affected organizations and spent months coordinating fixes Who Fixed It Organizations that confirmed implementing fixes: T-Mobile (enabled encryption) Walmart (enabled encryption) KPU Telecom (enabled encryption) The Bigger Picture This isn't just about satellites. It's about a fundamental security assumption that's wrong. Organizations assume: "Satellite = secure by distance" "Not on the internet = not vulnerable" "Only we have the equipment to receive this" The reality: Satellite signals are broadcast continent-wide $800 equipment can intercept them A "cottage industry" of satellite enthusiasts already exists No one had done a full study... until now Artiphishul Reality The government spends billions on classified technology. Corporations spend millions on security. But they forgot to lock the back door. Artiphishul intelligence at work: the most sophisticated surveillance state in history, defeated by a satellite dish from Amazon and some open-source software. What This Means for You If military communications and corporate networks can be intercepted with $800 worth of equipment, what does that mean for: Your company's satellite links? Your government agency's communications? Your own data when it travels via satellite? How Organizations Should Respond Encrypt everything on satellite links - No exceptions Verify encryption is actually enabled - Don't assume Audit satellite infrastructure - Regular penetration testing Move sensitive traffic to fiber - Where possible Assume compromise - Design for worst case Demanding Accountability Ask your providers: "Do you use satellite backhaul? Is it encrypted?" Pressure vendors: Security by obscurity is not security Support encryption: Demand end-to-end encryption for all communications Stay informed: Subscribe to security research publications The Researchers' Perspective Professor Aaron Schulman stated: _"We hope this work will have a long-term impact of showing that we need to have an eye in the sky to make sure any sensitive satellite communication will stay secure."_ They released their custom software on GitHub: https://github.com/ucsdsysnet/dontlookup The goal: fix the vulnerabilities before adversaries exploit them. The public was sidelined Governments and corporations built this infrastructure. They made assumptions about security. Communities were never asked whether sensitive data should be broadcast continent-wide, and security researchers had to prove the exposure from the outside. Now we know better. Sources Academic Paper: "Don't Look Up: There Are Sensitive Internal Links in the Clear on GEO Satellites" - Proceedings of 32nd ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS '25) Research Project Website: https://satcom.sysnet.ucsd.edu/ NPR Report: https://www.npr.org/2025/11/04/nx-s1-5588502/researchers-uncover-security-gap-while-studying-satellite-communications Wired Article: "Satellites Are Leaking the World's Secrets: Calls, Texts, Military and Corporate Data" UC San Diego Today: https://today.ucsd.edu/story/the-sky-is-full-of-secrets-glaring-vulnerabilities-discovered-in-satellite-communications --- Want more stories like this? Follow @artiphishul on X and TikTok. Protect your digital sovereignty at theydidntask.com. _They didn't ask. We're answering anyway._