NASA: Hacker Endangered Astronauts' Lives in '97

[Paul Howell]

At http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000703/ts/space_nasa_dc_1.html

Monday July 3 8:48 AM ET 

NASA: Hacker Endangered Astronauts' Lives in '97

LONDON (Reuters) - A computer hacker put space
shuttle astronauts' lives at risk by overloading NASA's
communication system in 1997, the agency told the
BBC in a program to be aired Monday.

The hacker interfered with computer systems
monitoring the heartbeat, pulse and medical conditions
of the space shuttle crew as it docked with the Russian
Mir space station, NASA inspector general Roberta
Gross told the BBC program Panorama.

``We had an activity at a NASA center where a hacker
was overloading our systems...to such an extent that it
interfered with communications between the NASA
center, some medical communications and the
astronauts aboard the shuttle,'' Gross said.

Although NASA had backup communication systems,
the incident ``shows the potential that hackers have for
doing some real damage to NASA's mission and
astronaut safety,'' she said.

Panorama interviewed Gross for an investigation into
how Internet and computer systems have become the
vulnerable spots in the defenses of Western nations.