PwnSat - A Vulnerable-by-Design Satellite Hardware and Platform for Aerospace Hacking

Explore aerospace cybersecurity through this conference talk that introduces PwnSat version 1.0, a physically built satellite intentionally designed with real vulnerabilities to facilitate hands-on aerospace hacking education. Learn how this ground-breaking project replicates real satellite system behavior using a complete hardware, software, and radio frequency (RF) stack that integrates industry standards including CCSDS, LoRa, and GNU Radio. Discover the practical attack surfaces in satellite subsystems and embedded radio communications through live demonstrations of this vulnerable-by-design CubeSat platform. Gain insights into offensive security research applied to aerospace technologies from experts who have developed this educational tool from scratch to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical satellite cybersecurity skills. Understand how real space technologies can be leveraged for security research and training purposes, making complex aerospace hacking concepts accessible through tangible hardware demonstrations.