Potential backdoors discovered in US-based components used by French Satellites
Jan 07, 2014
United Arab Emirates (UAE) may terminate a $930 Million USD contract with France based companies for the supply of two two military Imaging satellites due to the discovery of several US produced components in them. Now the deal is in danger because the UAE claims it has discovered backdoors in the components which are manufactured in the United States , reported by the Defense News . The contract, sealed in July 2013, includes a ground station, the Pleiades-type satellites (aka Falcon Eye) are due for delivery 2018. The revelation was provided by high-level UAE sources, the companies involved in the business are the prime contractor Airbus Defense and Space, and payload maker Thales Alenia Space. " If this issue is not resolved, the UAE is willing to scrap the whole deal ," he added. UAE authorities suspect the presence of vulnerabilities would " provide a back door to the highly secure data transmitted to the ground station ". An unnamed UAE source has confirmed...