Space: The Next Threat to Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity Experts Worry About Satellite & Space Systems
Excerpts and salient points ~
+ Little surprise, then, that cybersecurity and policy experts worry that the relative insecurity of satellite systems open them to attack. In a paper released by The Royal Institute of International Affairs at the non-profit think-tank Chatham House, Beyza Unal, a senior research fellow in international security, warned that the reliance of space-based systems and satellites on civilian infrastructure means greater vulnerability to attack in times of conflict and espionage in times of peace.
“During wartime, the greatest risk is to lose operational foresight and be unable to rely on data that comes through space,” Unal says. “Receiving false or fake information may result in giving an advantage to the adversary.”
+ “The fundamental approach here is to focus on risk-reduction frameworks and applying them within the supply chain, command, control and communication systems,” she says. “It is important to note NATO uses layers of security to protect these systems. Hence, even if an attacker is able to breach a node in the system, this would not necessarily mean they could infiltrate the critical nodes.”
+ Nations are already attempting an end run around certain types of attacks. In 2016, China launched its Micius satellite, which is expected to allow communications protected by quantum cryptography.
Source: DARKReading. Robert Lemos, Cybersecurity Experts Worry About Satellite & Space Systems…
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