A hacker has reportedly breached NASA’s systems for the second time, revealing critical security vulnerabilities. The hacker shared this news on X, mentioning that they informed NASA about these loopholes to allow the agency enough time to fix them.
In response, NASA issued an official letter of appreciation to the hacker, acknowledging their efforts in identifying weaknesses that help protect the agency’s systems. The letter, signed by Mark Witt, NASA’s Chief Information Officer, highlighted the hacker’s role in maintaining the “integrity and availability” of NASA’s information infrastructure.
The hacker posted, “I Hacked @NASA (again) and reported some vulnerabilities to them. Just today, I received this appreciation letter from them after they patched the loopholes!”
I Hacked @NASA (again) and reported some vulnerabilities to them. Just today, I received this appreciation letter from them after they patched the loopholes! pic.twitter.com/t4w92culxK
— 7h3h4ckv157 (@7h3h4ckv157) September 26, 2024
NASA praised the hacker for discovering the vulnerabilities while adhering to the agency’s Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (VDP), recognizing their work as an “independent security researcher.”
The appreciation letter noted, “The ability to detect and report security vulnerabilities is a valuable skill in the information security industry.” NASA added that the hacker’s vigilance helped protect the “integrity and availability of NASA’s information.”
The post garnered over 1.8 million views and sparked numerous comments.
One user remarked, “Congrats! That’s a massive personal resume builder — on top of being vital to preventing someone else from employing the same thought patterns and execution strategy as you. Might not have been a white hat hacker that time!”
Another user noted, “So hacking NASA is not just a meme haha, great job!”
A third user stated, “Good on NASA for rewarding security researchers (rather than punishing with legal action); it’s really only in their best interests. Massive props and congratulations to you, good sir.”