Cybersafety Connections August 21st, 2023 vol#131
- In Mauna Kea Observatories – Hilo, Hawaii, USA (Hawaii County) there was an attempted cyberattack on NSF’s NOIRLab computer systems.
- The cyber incident impacted both the north and south telescope.
- No cybercriminal group has been identified.
- Steps were taken to mitigate the loss.
What happened?
On the first day of this month NSF’s (National Science Foundation) NOIR Lab found out about an attempted cyberattack on its computer systems in Mauna Kea Observatories – Hilo, Hawaii, USA (Hawaii County).The computer system was for Gemini North. NSF’s NOIRLab (National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory), the US center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory.
Who was impacted
The attempted cyberattack on NSF’s NOIRLab computer systems resulted in the suspension of astronomical observations at Gemini North in Hawai‘ and the telescope has a twin in the Gemini South located in Chile that was also shut down. This suspension affects not only telescopic observation but also email and calendars.
Who was responsible for the attack?
No cybercriminal group has been identified.
How was loss mitigated?
The following massive actions were taken to mitigate loss.
Pre and Post Diseater Management
Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope
- It is important to note that the NOIRLab cyber security team and Gemini observing teams acted promptly to prevent damage to the observatory.
- As a precautionary measure, the Gemini Observatory computer systems have been isolated by shutting them down, causing the website and proposal tools to be offline. However, the NOIRLab website can still be accessed.
- While the NOIRLab IT team conducts an investigation and develops a recovery plan with NSF’s cyber experts, both the Gemini North and South telescopes will remain closed.
- Their top priority is to safely and securely resume observations and learn from this incident.
- Due to the attempted cyberattack, the Mid-Scale Observatories (MSO) network on Cerro Tololo and at SOAR have been disconnected.
- Remote observations at the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope and SOAR Telescope are currently unavailable, but on-site staff are carrying out observations in service mode as a temporary solution.
- Any affected observers will be contacted individually, and tenant facilities on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón that operate remotely have been put into a safe state by the MSO staff on site.
- Understandably this suspension of service may cause inconvenience and frustration for users and users are being commended for their patience and understanding as the issue is being resolved.
- Updates will be provided as they become available.
