The Sri-Lankan terrorist group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has hacked into one of global communication giant Intelsat's satellites.
Confirming this news, an Intelsat spokesperson said the terrorists gained unauthorized access around 10th April 2007, and the problem was brought to the company's notice by the Sri Lankan authorities.
According to the company, it has already initiated steps to rectify the situation. It was however not ready to disclose details about the precise measures being adopted to do the same. "The situation is well under control, and there is no reason to panic," is all the Intelsat spokesperson had to say.
LTTE is reported to be using the hacked resources on the satellite to broadcast its own video and radio channels. Confirming this the spokesperson said, "While the satellite is multi-purpose and has other capabilities, LTTE is known to be using it only for broadcasting video and radio."
While details about the exact procedure used by the terrorist outfit to break into the satellite are not being disclosed, the Intelsat spokesperson verified that significant expertise and equipment is involved to gain such unauthorized access. "However, such situations are not a cause of concern and will not attain pandemic proportions in future," he added.
Intelsat officials, including its technical experts, have already met with Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States, Bernard Goonetilleke, to discuss the steps Intelsat is taking to address the situation. The Sri Lanka Embassy and Intelsat agree that these illegal transmissions by the LTTE are a violation of Sri Lankan and U.S. laws.
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