Correct.
I believe this to be the case. It's certainly the way that satellite TV works.
Maybe, and yes.
A satellite radio or TV that was not receiving when the update comes down continues with its old status. But, it doesn't last for more than a few minutes, when the satellite company's periodic re-update hits the receiver.
If the receiver has had no power (as in unplugged, not "turned off", since it's still receiving updates even when "turned off") for an extended period of time, it drops its authorization entirely and goes into unauthorized mode. It stays in that mode until the next periodic re-update when it goes alive again. RVers with satellite receivers who are quite familiar with this behavior.
In my experience, it only stays unauthorized for a couple of minutes before it comes back.
Empirical evidence suggests that every receiver is updated every few minutes. You can also call and ask for a manual update if you're having problems.
There is quite a tribe of individuals who hack the security of satellite TV, usually in modifying the access cards to be promiscuous; and an equal tribe at the satellite TV companies who figure out how the hack worked and (1) develop a new generation of cards that breaks the hacks, (2) develop a counter-hack that attacks hacked cards and disables them. These access cards are actually programmable CPUs -- they're not just passive memory -- and the actual work is done there. I don't think that the receivers are anything other than receivers; I don't think that they have a crypto engine.
North American satellite TV pirates seem to be primarily in Canada, and focus their attacks at US satellite providers. Apparently, there are some Canadians who want to get the TV that their socialist government denies them.
I haven't heard of anyone hacking satellite radio. I suspect that it isn't economical; also the receiver itself would have to be hacked instead of a card.
No.
Yes.
-- Mark --