The Spacecraft Hacker's Handbook: Exploiting Ground Stations, Flight Software, and Satellite Terminals

“A much-needed bridge for cybersecurity people to understand spacecraft, and for spacecraft people to understand cybersecurity.”
—Scott Manley, YouTuber

“I highly recommend The Spacecraft Hacker’s Handbook to anyone interested in understanding how today’s space infrastructure really works. . . . It is not only an excellent resource for engineers and cybersecurity and space professionals but also an engaging and accessible read for anyone who wants to better understand the opportunities, challenges, and security of the modern space domain.”
—Marcin Mazur, Vice President, Polish Space Agency

“This book is a mandatory read for space security professionals and an essential read for spacecraft operators involved in all mission phases. Furthermore, its methodologies are highly valuable for blue and red team security experts operating in adjacent sectors such as financial services and defense/dual-use.”
—Artur M. Palowski, Innovation Officer, European Space Agency

“The subject could easily become overwhelming, but the authors break it down in a way that’s clear, thorough, and surprisingly entertaining. Whether you work in cybersecurity or are simply curious about how the technology orbiting above us actually works, this book is well worth reading.”
—Jim O’Gorman, co-author of Metasploit: The Penetration Testers Guide and former President of OffSec

“With its high-level overviews, low-level protocols, and hands-on sections, this book has everything you need to launch into spacecraft hacking.”
—Gynvael Coldwind, founder of Dragon Sector CTF Team

“A timely, approachable, and hands-on guide to the rapidly evolving field of space cybersecurity. With impressive technical depth, Olchawa and Starcik demonstrate how modern space systems can be attacked and defended.”
—Stephen Carver, Researcher in Spaceflight Systems Security

“The best technical books do more than catalog vulnerabilities; they teach readers how to move from architecture and attack surface to root cause, exploitation, and real-world impact. The Spacecraft Hacker’s Handbook does exactly that across the ground, space, and user segments, making one of security’s most specialized domains practical and approachable without sacrificing technical depth.”
—Stephen Sims, SANS Institute Fellow and founder of Off By One Security

“The Spacecraft Hacker’s Handbook provides a thoughtful look into the risks, threats, and challenges that are unique to securing systems on orbit. Where it deviates from other books in the space is that it also dives deep into how to do security testing for each segment of a space system. It’s the only space security book I’ve read that both talks about the high-level systems as well as protocol-level exploits. With this book, you can go from basically no space experience at all to writing exploits against space control systems and protocols.”
—Jason “dade” Strange, Hacker & Security Engineer

“You basically have two choices: (1) buy this book, or (2) pay the ransom to the criminals who will break into your spacecraft. As someone who works at an institution where hackers daily try to break in and control our Mars rovers, I recommend option 1.”
—Artur Chmielewski, Project Manager, NASA

“There are plenty of books on the usual security topics, but this one is a rare gem, it covers satellite (in)security. Not many books dig into satellite internals, and even fewer focus specifically on how to hack them…The Spacecraft Hacker’s Handbook is a great guide to the full spectrum of these problems, covering topics like the software supply chain and then diving deeper into the hardware and firmware layers. I highly recommend it to any security researcher in the field.”
—Alex Matrosov, Security Researcher, Founder, Author

“Delivers a practical, hands-on introduction to space system security. All relevant concepts are handled, from threat mapping and protocols to tooling and hardware analysis. A good start if you want to step into space system security.”
—Florian Göhler

“This book covers one of the most important issues of our time.”
—Tiago Loureiro, Head of the Solar System Exploration Missions Operations, European Space Agency

“A refreshingly different take on space cybersecurity. Thorough, highly technical, and packed with practical insight, it’s an outstanding starting point and a valuable long-term reference for offensive security professionals. For anyone pursuing a career in space security research or penetration testing, this is essential reading and nearly a one-stop shop for building the knowledge and skills needed to succeed.”
—Brandon Bailey, creator and lead of SPARTA

“The Spacecraft Hacker’s Handbook demystifies space security better than any other introduction I have encountered. Its clear explanations and reproducible labs give newcomers an approachable path into the field, while experienced security researchers gain the detailed understanding of space infrastructure, technologies, and attack surfaces needed to apply their existing offensive-security skills effectively.”
—Adam ‘pi3’ Zabrocki, creator of LKRG, Phrack author, and co-designer of RISC-V security extensions

Andrzej Olchawais an offensive security researcher with more than 15 years of experience in the space industry. He has presented his research at Black Hat and DEF CON, and is credited with multiple CVEs.

Milenko Starcikleads the cybersecurity team at VisionSpace, where he helps protect space systems. With a decade of experience in the space industry, he has presented research at Black Hat, DEF CON, and space conferences.