Cyberattacks on space-based assets, such as communications and Earth observation satellites, are an effective way to interfere with military and national security activities and to interrupt private sector business for competitive advantage or ransomware-style attacks. Cybersecurity best practices are just as important to space-based equipment as they are to systems on Earth. Constructing, launching and operating a satellite involves a complex supply chain in which a cyber vulnerability could be introduced at any point. These vulnerabilities can sit idle until long after the satellite is in orbit.

In this video, Brian Gallant, CEO of Space Canada and former premier of New Brunswick, explains how the cyber vulnerability is most often intentionally introduced by a human. There are several factors, such as the human operator simply ignored cybersecurity best practices because they do not believe them to be important. More nefarious examples include a human who is bribed or blackmailed into adding a vulnerability by a foreign adversary. The human weak link makes for an ideal target: “For malicious external actors, targeting the human element is often much simpler than other forms of hacking and cyberattacks,” explains Gallant.

There are several ways to strengthen cybersecurity in space-based systems. Gallant outlines a few examples, including improving understanding and teaching of cybersecurity best practices in elementary schools, post-secondary institutions and STEM courses; greater transparency and communication between providers, including the private sector and governments to disclose vulnerabilities and attacks as they occur; and, finally, continuously updating and patching systems for future protection.

Learn more about the role humans play in creating cyber vulnerabilities and what solutions governments and the private sector can implement to avoid future human-made risks by reading Brian Gallant and Jordan Miller’s essay, “The Growth of the Space Economy and New Cyber Vulnerabilities,” here: https://www.cigionline.org/articles/t...

Cybersecurity and Outer Space
A CIGI Essay Series
is available here: https://www.cigionline.org/space-gov/