From the Cold War onwards, counterspace weapons have been developed to destroy, disrupt or degrade satellites and space-based infrastructure to gain military advantage over an opponent. These range from cyber-weapons like the one used in this attack, through to jamming and spoofing a satellite's signals, to the more sci-fi-sounding weapons such as lasers, or electromagnetic pulses (EMP). These can be used to blind or destroy a satellite from the ground, air or even from another satellite that has manoeuvred close to its target.