SUNHYUK HWANG

M.S. candidate, Cybersecurity — Kyung Hee University

Advisor: Prof. Dae-Hee Jang (PWNLAB)

Satellite Cybersecurity · wireless protocol analysis

Email ↗
Sunhyuk Hwang

// Education

M.S., Cybersecurity — Kyung Hee University

Mar 2025 – Feb 2027 (expected)
  • GPA: 4.2/4.3 (in progress)
  • Graduate researcher, PWNLAB cybersecurity research lab (2025 – present)
  • Thesis: TBD
  • Research focus: Satellite communication security

B.S., Computer Engineering — Kyung Hee University

Mar 2019 – Feb 2025
  • Undergraduate researcher, PWNLAB cybersecurity research lab (2023 – 2024)
  • Research focus: Drone security

// Research Interests

Space and satellite security. Currently focused on the RF layer — satellite communication-protocol analysis and exploitation, with hands-on experience operating real satellite antennas. Broader interests include satellite firmware / onboard-software security (cFS, NOS3-simulated systems) and hardware-level attack surfaces, supported by firmware reverse engineering and embedded-hardware experience.

// Publications

  1. 🇰🇷 "Design and Implementation of a Virtual Satellite Antenna System for Satellite RF Hacking Research." Conference on Information Security and Cryptography — Summer (CISC-S'26), Busan, Korea. Scheduled for oral presentation May 8, 2026.
  2. 🇰🇷 "Analysis of Security Threats in Satellite Control Communication Using the NOS3 Satellite System Simulator." Conference on Information Security and Cryptography (CISC-W'24), Nov 2024. · view paper ↗
  3. 🇰🇷 "Research on Exploiting Open Source Ground Stations through Satellite Spoofing Signal." Korea Computer Congress (KCC 2024), Jun 2024. · view paper ↗
  4. 🇰🇷 "Analysis of the Communication Protocol in Open-Source Drone (PX4)." Conference on Information Security and Cryptography — Winter (CISC-W'23), Dec 2023.
  5. "A Practical Tool for Analyzing Security Threats in Satellite Communications." Co-authored with an undergraduate researcher under my mentorship. · view on Google Scholar ↗

// Experience

Graduate Researcher — Satellite Cybersecurity

Mar 2025 – present

IERAE · Korean government research institute

  • Designing VSA (OpenVSA), a virtualized satellite ground-station / antenna system for satellite RF security research.
  • Building Mr.Radio, a RF-hacking wargame platform for satellite RF security education.

Teaching Assistant — Information Security (Undergraduate)

Jun 2026

Kyung Hee University · Instructor: Prof. Dae-Hee Jang

  • Led two hands-on RF-hacking lab sessions for the undergraduate Information Security course, covering RF attack fundamentals and practical signal exploitation.

RF Security Instructor — PWNLAB

Mar 2024 – present

PWNLAB, Kyung Hee University

  • Designed and deliver internal RF-security training for lab members, introducing RF attack surfaces and hands-on exploitation techniques.

Researcher — Satellite Cybersecurity R&D Project

2024 – 2025

Korean government research institutes

  • Government-funded defense satellite security research.
  • Delivered invited talk — RF security research overview — at a Korean government research institute in Daejeon (Feb 2024).
  • Technical details and deliverables restricted under NDA.

Contributing Researcher — Drone Security

Apr 2023 – Dec 2023

Korean government research institutes

  • Government-funded drone security research.
  • Technical details and deliverables restricted under NDA.

// Projects

VSA / OpenVSA — Virtual Satellite Antenna

Desktop application that virtualizes satellite ground-station antenna systems. GPredict integration for real-time tracking, IQ signal-file analysis, and multi-antenna beam-pattern simulation.

Mr.Radio — mrradio.kr

Browser-based RF-hacking wargame platform with virtualized satellite signal environments — signal reception, demodulation, and decoding without physical SDR hardware. Built for Satellite RF security education.

Hack-the-Drone CTF — RF Challenges & Operations (2023, 2024)

Sole designer and author of all RF-domain challenges for the Hack-the-Drone CTF competition. Also served in event operations both years.

// Honors & Awards

  • AUTOCRYPT Special Award — Automotive Hacking Competition (AutoHack).
  • Hacktaeon CTF Finalist — National CTF hosted by Sejong City.

// Conferences Attended

  • NetSec-KR 2025 — Korea Network Security Conference, Seoul, Korea. Apr 2025
  • Black Hat USA 2024 — Las Vegas, NV, USA. Aug 2024
  • ACM WiSec 2024 — ACM Conference on Security and Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks, Seoul, Korea. May 2024

// Technical Skills

Software-defined radio
Hands-on satellite RF work across the full stack — from installing and aiming antennas to receive live satellite signals, through SDR hardware (e.g. HackRF One, USRP), to analysis software (e.g. GNU Radio, Inspectrum) for demodulation and decoding.
Satellite systems
Working knowledge of satellite communication protocols, the NOS3 satellite simulator, NASA's core Flight System (cFS) flight software framework, the TinyGS ground-station stack, and the CCSDS standard protocol.
System hacking & Embedded
Proficient in reverse engineering and binary exploitation using tools like IDA Pro. Also experienced in hardware-level embedded hacking.