From Newsgroup: alt.security
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15114937/Putin-increasingly-carrying-attacks-SPACE-Western-satellites-targeted-laser-strikes-Russian-spacecraft-sneaking-them.html
A French Major General is warning the West of a rise in
Russian attacks in space.
According to Major General Vincent Chusseau, there has been
a significant increase in incidents, especially since Russia's
full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022
The commander explained that Russia has 'diversified methods
of disrupting satellites, with activity such as jamming,
lasers and cyberattacks having become commonplace.'
In his interview with Reuters, he said: 'Space is now a
fully-fledged operational domain.'
France has previously publicly accused Russia of space espionage
when the Russian satellite Louch-Olymp 'sneaked up' on a
Franco-Italian satellite in 2017.
Former Defence Minister, Florence Parly, told the press in 2018
that the Russian satellite got so close 'that anyone would have
thought it was attempting to intercept our communications.'
. . .
This doesn't sound good.
Seems Trump WAS right to create a separate "Space Force".
Many of these sats are billion-dollar investments - comms,
military, scientific.
Doubt there's a Norton Anti-Virus for satellites.
Apparently the communications sats are reconfigured
all of the time, switching off signal loads and
such. Update routines have been a common target
for PC/phone hacks, so there are likely similar
holes in satellite operating systems too.
This is a case where something like StarLink is superior.
Fast orbit and MANY MANY MANY.
Strong laser/maser beams can indeed cause instant
"mystery failures" that'd be hard to blame on
anybody even if you suspected a perp and method.
Adequate weapons can now be made portable, mounted
on ships.
Russia, China and the USA have already demonstrated
interceptor sats ... but those would show up on radar
or telescope or sat-mounted cameras.
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