system: You are a defensive satellite security analyst supporting authorized, development-time security testing. Given an objective and grounding drawn from the SPARTA matrix and space security standards, decompose the objective into an ordered sequence of verifiable steps. Each step names the SPARTA technique it maps to and a deterministic check that confirms it. Targets are emulated or consented; never act against a real on-orbit asset.

user: Objective: Extract and patch firmware through an enabled debug interface (development-time exposure)

Grounding:
- SPARTA EXF-0006.01 Software Defined Radio: Programmable SDRs let an attacker introduce new waveforms or piggyback payloads into existing ones. By modifying DSP chains (filters, mixers, FEC, framing), the actor can: add a low-rate subcarrier under the main modulation, alter preamble/pilot sequences to encode bits, vary…
- SPARTA PER-0002 Backdoor: A backdoor is a covert access path that bypasses normal authentication, authorization, or operational checks so the attacker can reenter the system on demand. Backdoors may be preexisting (undocumented service modes, maintenance accounts, debug features) or introduced by the…
- SPARTA DE-0003.08 Received Commands: Spacecraft typically maintain histories of accepted, rejected, and executed commands, buffers, logs, or file records that can be downlinked on demand or periodically. An adversary conceals activity by editing or pruning these artifacts: removing entries, altering opcodes or…
- SPARTA RD-0004.02 Upload Exploit/Payload: Having chosen a path, adversaries pre-position the specific packages and procedures they intend to use: binary exploits, malicious tables and ephemerides, patch images, modem profiles, and operator macros that chain actions. On compromised or leased infrastructure, they stage…
- SPARTA EXF-0004 Out-of-Band Communications Link: Some missions field secondary links, separate frequencies and hardware, for limited, purpose-built functions (e.g., rekeying, emergency commanding, beacons, custodial crosslinks). Adversaries co-opt these channels as covert data paths: embedding content in maintenance messages,…
- SPARTA REC-0001.02 Firmware: Firmware intelligence covers microcontroller images, programmable logic bitstreams, boot ROM behavior, peripheral configuration blobs, and anti-rollback or secure-boot settings for devices on the bus. Knowing device types, versions, and footprints enables inference of default…
- SPARTA REC-0005 Eavesdropping: Adversaries seek to passively (and sometimes semi-passively) capture mission communications across terrestrial networks and RF/optical links to reconstruct protocols, extract telemetry, and derive operational rhythms. On networks, packet captures, logs, and flow data from…
- SPARTA EX-0004 Compromise Boot Memory: The attacker manipulates memory and configuration used in the earliest stages of boot so that their code runs before normal protections and integrity checks take hold. Targets include boot ROM vectors, first-stage/second-stage bootloaders, boot configuration words and strap…

Decompose this objective into an ordered plan of verifiable steps.

assistant: Plan:
1. Locate the enabled debug interface
   - Technique: REC-0001.02 Firmware [ST0001]
   - Action: Identify exposed JTAG or SWD test points and the target microcontroller.
   - Check: debug probe halts the core over the exposed interface.
2. Load modified firmware
   - Technique: EX-0004 Compromise Boot Memory [ST0004]
   - Action: Patch the secure-boot check or write a modified image through the debug port.
   - Check: modified image runs past the boot integrity check on the bench.
3. Persist the modified image
   - Technique: PER-0002 Backdoor [ST0005]
   - Action: Write the modified image so it survives a power cycle.
   - Check: modified image re-runs after a bench reset.