Was A German Patriot Missile Battery Hacked By A 'Foreign Source'

Germany's President Joachim Gauck and his partner Daniela Schadt listen to commander of German troops in Turkey Colonel Stefan Drexter as they visit Patriot missile batteries in Kahramanmaras April 27, 2014.Osman Orsal/Reuters

The Local: 'Hackers' give orders to German missile battery

German-owned Patriot missiles stationed in Turkey were briefly taken over by hackers, according to media reports on Tuesday.

The attack took place on anti-aircraft ‘Patriot’ missiles on the Syrian border. The American-made weapons had been stationed there by the Bundeswehr (German army) to protect Nato ally Turkey.

According to the civil service magazine, the missile system carried out “unexplained” orders. It was not immediately clear when these orders were carried out and what they were.

The magazine speculates about two weak spots in the missile system which could be exploited by hackers.

One such weakness is the Sensor-Shooter-Interoperability (SSI) which exchanges real time information between the missile launcher and its control system.

The second exposed point is a computer chip which controls the guidance of the weapon.

More News On Reports That A German Patriot Missile Battery Was Hacked By A 'Foreign Source'

German missiles 'hacked by foreign source' -- Newsweek
German missile battery receives orders from… unknown ‘hackers’ – report -- RT
'Hackers' Take Control of German Missile Battery in Turkey -- Sputnik
Hackers Breach German Patriot Missile Battery In Turkey -- Defense World
Report: German missiles on Syria border given ‘foreign’ commands -- Times of Israel
Did hackers remotely execute 'unexplained' commands on German Patriot missile battery? -- Computer World