Unknown hackers paralyzed the work of one of the most significant radio telescopes on the planet. The ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) is located in the mountains of Chile, where there are the best conditions for observing space objects. The observatory’s website suddenly stopped responding, and the researchers were forced to interrupt their study of the universe. A better understanding of the scale of the attack will help the fact that even corporate email has ceased to function normally.
While cybersecurity specialists are figuring out the details of the interference, the observatory has gone offline. This has deprived a large number of scientific centers around the world of access to ALMA resources.
In addition, about 300 employees working at the site ceased to perform their tasks. While the fact that the attack was successful causes resentment, there is good news. The hackers were unable to gain access to the research center’s impressive arsenal of 66 high-fidelity antennas, and scientific information was not stolen.
Experts are not yet ready to say when the observatory will return to normal. The mysterious “black hackers” left no evidence, and their goals and motives also remain unknown.
The ALMA radio telescope, launched in 2013, is the most significant ground-based astronomical project of our time. Its specialty was the precise observation of the light emitted by accumulations of dust and gas. The capabilities of the complex make it possible to observe and documentary events at a considerable distance from the Earth.
