Factual error: The film's plot violates the third of the Ten Immutable Laws of Security by Scott Culp. The premise of the law is: When one has physical access to a computer system, given enough time, he can take over the system. In the film, the reverse happens: Dane takes over an ATAC site remotely while people inside (who have complete physical access) cannot do anything to wrest the control back. In the real world, it is usually possible to simply cut the connection cable or antenna and take control back. (Even Windows XP and later have such simple lockdown provisions as part of Windows Firewall.) After the lockdown, the passcodes can be changed and other measures taken.
FleetCommand
13th May 2016
Under Siege 2 (1995)
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Suggested correction: They don't have physical access to the satellite. It is in orbit, it is impossible to have physical access unless they had someone on the satellite.
That would be a plausible explanation, had it been in the film. But in the film, Dane hacked into ATAC system, not the satellite. That's how he implemented bogus satellites.
You also have to remember Dane designed and wrote the software that ATAC is using. He may have written in access stuff that can't be disabled. So they couldn't have disconnected the building and gotten back control of their systems. There is no way that they could have gotten back control of their satellite.
An yet, the exact opposite happened at the end of the film: Ryback shot Dane's laptop, severing his persistent remote connection. Immediately, ATAC personnel regained control of the satellite. It appears you're smarter than the filmmakers and would make a better film if you tried. But it also appears that they've made not one but several mistakes here.
13th May 2016
Under Siege 2 (1995)
Factual error: The main premise of the film is ATAC's loss of control over their orbital weapon and their attempt to prevent it from doing damage. According to ATAC, they needed to know where the weaponized satellite is, so that they can lock onto it and send it a self-destruct order via radio waves. This isn't how the real world works: Radio waves emit in all directions from its transmitting source. The location of the satellite need not to be known; only it must be within the reach of the ATAC's signal.
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