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COMMUNICATIONS 267
heard of the infamous hackers who eavesdrop and create other problems on the Internet.
We’ll use the term hacker to refer to unauthorized parties who may be up to no good.
Hackers have a variety of motives and any hacker would love to gain control of a robot.
Just like Internet communications, RF transmissions and phone traffic are also sub-
ject to interference by hackers. The transmitted data can be read or altered en route.
Here’s a list of the things that can go wrong when a hacker is involved:
Denial of service (DoS) If a hacker jams the communication link, commands to
the robot may not get through.
Eavesdropping Hackers may read the robot’s data and get vital information they
may be able to use.
Spoofing Hackers may pose as the source or destination communication enti-
ties. The following problems could then arise:
False commands The robot may receive false commands and execute oper-
ations that could damage the mission.
False data Data could be falsified or altered. The integrity of scientific stud-
ies and data-gathering missions could be compromised.
Broken communications If the hacker succeeds in spoofing the other com-
munication entity, the entire communication chain may be interrupted going
forward.
The following web sites are hacker clubs that you can visit at your own peril. Your
computer may be threatened and strong language may be involved. There may, however,
be things to learn. Hackers know more about security than most people. At the very
least, they may scare your socks off:
www.phrack.org
www.morehouse.org/hin/

Security and hacker problems can be solved in multiple ways. Several standards have
been set up to encrypt and harden communication links to prevent hackers from inter-
vening. Some of these methods are more effective than others. Most casual hackers are
harmless, but enough determined hackers are out there to crack almost any code. As a
rule of thumb, ask what would happen if a hacker had full access to the communica-
tions link. What’s the worst that could go wrong? If your data is boring or nonvital, then
don’t bother. However, minimal security is often beneficial and does not cost much. But
remember, robots are an attractive technology target. The prospect of hacking into a
robot will wake up even the sleepiest hacker.
In a nutshell, what sorts of fixes are available? Eavesdropping becomes almost a use-
less exercise if the data is completely encrypted. Further, spoofing becomes impossi-
ble if the message has sufficient authentication to verify the sender. Methods to provide