NOIRLab Confirms Cybersecurity Incident That Temporarily Halts 2 Advanced Telescopes in Hawaii, Chile

Hackers tried to shut down two of the advanced telescopes earlier this month. They somehow succeeded at halting their operations.

NOIRLab Announces Hacking Incident

The National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) of the National Science Foundation said that activities at the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii and Gemini South Telescope in Chile had been temporarily suspended due to a cybersecurity incident that happened on Aug. 1. On Chile's Cerro Tololo, other, smaller telescopes were also impacted.

NOIRLab posted a statement on its website on Aug. 24 announcing that its staff is working with cybersecurity experts to get all the affected observatories. The website went back online and was reportedly encouraged by the accomplishments made thus far.

It's unclear precisely what the hacking attempts were or where they came from. NOIRLab notes that the group will be careful about what information it releases about the intrusions because the inquiry is ongoing.

The agency intends to provide the community with more information in keeping with its devotion to transparency and the security of its infrastructure.

A few days before cyberattacks were launched against NOIRLab's facilities, the United States National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) published a notice warning American space enterprises and research groups about the possibility of cyberattacks and espionage.

The advisory noted that foreign spies and hackers are aware of the value of the commercial space industry to the American economy and national security, especially the growing reliance of vital infrastructure on space-based assets. They view US space-related innovation and assets as excellent chances to gain critical technologies and skills and possible threats.

Astronomical observatories have already faced cyberattacks, so this is nothing new. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile had operations disrupted by hackers in October 2022, and NASA has experienced years of intrusions. The global SolarWinds hack in 2021 targeted the agency, which NASA officials called a "big wakeup call" for cybersecurity.

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About the Gemini Observatory

The telescopes at Gemini Observatory have access to the entire sky from their sites on Maunakea in Hawaii and Cerro Pachón in Chile. A wide-field laser adaptive optics system is part of Gemini's arsenal of tools, including the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and other current ground- and space-based observatories.

Additionally, Gemini has a strong guest instrument program (unique among this class of telescopes). Fast Turnaround (monthly deadlines), Large and Long projects (multi-year study), and Priority Visitor mode are just a few of the cutting-edge methods Gemini has invented for proposing and observing.

The Gemini international partnership includes the National Science Foundations of the United States (NSF), Canada (NRC), Chile (ANID), Brazil (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovaço), Argentina (Ministério de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovaço), and Korea (KASI).

These Participants each have a National Gemini Office to help their regional users, as does the University of Hawaii, which has frequent access to Gemini. Gemini time is available to all astronomers in these nations and is distributed by each participant's level of contribution.

The chance to undertake astronomy research atop Maunakea in Hawaii is an honor for the astronomical community. Under a cooperation agreement with the National Science Foundation, AURA's NOIRLab, run by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), manages the International Gemini Observatory.