An independent hacker has publicly revealed a second breach in NASA’s systems, exposing critical security vulnerabilities.

The hacker, who disclosed the information on the social media platform X, stated that they had directly informed NASA about the issues, allowing the space agency time to address the gaps.

Known by the handle “@7h3h4ckv157,” the hacker posted: “I hacked @NASA (again) and reported some vulnerabilities to them. Today, I received this appreciation letter from them after they patched the loopholes!”

NASA acknowledged the hacker’s discovery and issued an official letter of appreciation, signed by Mark Witt from NASA’s Office of the Chief Information Officer.

The letter praised the hacker’s efforts in identifying and responsibly reporting the security flaws, commending their adherence to NASA’s Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (VDP).

NASA expressed its gratitude, highlighting the hacker’s contributions in safeguarding the “integrity and availability” of its information systems. Mark Witt wrote, “We would like to recognize your efforts as an independent security researcher, both for identifying the vulnerability and for following NASA’s VDP policy and guidelines.”

Social media users responded positively, applauding the hacker’s decision to report the vulnerabilities rather than exploit them. Some joked about NASA not offering a tangible reward for the hacker’s efforts.