The possibility of controlling the laminar–turbulent transition in hypersonic shock layers by means of porous coatings is considered. The linear stability of the shock layer to acoustic disturbances is analyzed. A dispersion relation is derived in an analytical form and analyzed for different characteristic
values of porosity of the wall, which allows one to study the spectrum of acoustic disturbances in the shock layer. Analytical expressions for the growth rate of instability of acoustic disturbances are presented as functions of the reflection factor. Their structure indicates that the porous coating
effectively decreases acoustic instability of the shock layer.