SPACEFLIGHT Cyber security and satellites
The ultimate high-level hack?
KELVIN MURRAY, Senior Threat Researcher, Carbonite + Webroot looks at the threat hackers and malicious actors offer to satellites.
The arrival of commercial rockets and satellites in the past decade has started a New Space race and the sector is only going to grow. With projects like Blue Origin and SpaceX giving us a glimpse of what is possible, commercial outer space travel now seems reachable within our lifetimes.
However, the advances in technology required to make that a reality bring additional cybersecurity complications and considerations to the fore.
As digital equipment and software develops, the industry needs to keep cyber risk front of mind and continually assess the strength of its defences. The consequences of a potential breach cannot be ignored. With satellites transmitting sensitive data to and from Earth, they have become a lucrative potential target for hackers or malicious actors looking to exploit them via ground station facilities.
If the space industry does not become more proactive around cyber-security concerns, future travel missions could be left in danger of being hijacked – with hackers having the potential to cause inter-space collisions and destroy communication systems, for example, should they be able to penetrate mission-critical, Earth-based systems.
How easy is it to hack a satellite in space?
In theory, there are several ways that satellites could be hacked and they are less sophisticated than you might initially think. Military spaceflight, commercial spaceflight and most aviations operations boil down to people sitting in front of machines who could also easily click a malicious link or make a silly mistake.
In most cases scientists, academics, software developers and government engineers are using the same operating systems, hardware, protocols and applications, so the cyber threats to any business or government office are quite similar. In the case of compromising a satellite, an attacker will not need to get into space. Instead, they would likely target the command centre first.
The attack surface therefore is not just about private spaceflight companies and their supply chain but national and military space systems. In the past, militaries almost exclusively controlled space-tech, whereas the modern industry is more commercial, so the motivation for targeting operational security structures will differ.
We have seen state hackers accused of undermining other countries by attacking various industries with recent global ransomware attacks, so perhaps the commercial space industry might be seen as ‘fair game’ for ‘lighter touch’ attackers who may not risk attacking NASA and starting a global war.
More aggressive state actors have been looking at ways of sabotaging space technology since the early days of the Cold War and will likely continue to do so as it is intertwined with tools used by military forces, such as GPS missile systems.
In recent years, the major global powers have been developing tech to shoot down satellites with ground-based lasers (such as the US), so it would be surprising if they are not also looking at cyber hacks as a means to achieving this also.
Importance of space in terms of critical infrastructure
To understand the cyber threat to its critical infrastructure, it is essential to comprehend the space industry’s digital platform. It has only opened to the commercial world in recent years, meaning the value of space technology to business and humanity is largely immeasurable.
Could the rise of more commercial megaconstellations and CubeSats running similar software provide a cyber vulnerability? SpaceX
Due to the large incentives that the space industry has for cyber criminals, it is imperative the industry reinforce its security.
However, calculating the risks and making the industry’s technology infrastructure and communications as safe as possible is a challenge the industry is taking on – and it is prompting some innovative thinking.
For example, mock-up satellites were on display at a recent hacking conference, Defcon.
The US military runs these workshops to encourage the security industry to collaborate with them before malicious actors spot vulnerabilities.
At the conference, hundreds of hackers were given access to a satellite and were encouraged to spot weaknesses in the technology. In fact, many were able to manipulate its systems in a way that could render it useless or potentially cause it to crash-land on Earth.
By letting external security professionals get hands-on with this technology, the military was able to improve its defences.
Cross-industry collaboration and knowledge sharing is critical at a time when the industry is booming – with many satellites set to be launched over the next few years.
With the consequences of a satellite system compromise ranging from the destruction of dozens to hundreds of satellites, internet services or GPS systems, secure and resilient space-based assets are critical to both our economy and national security.
The space cyber strategy
As space becomes increasingly privatised and the number of satellites increases and become crowded, we expect to see more cyber incidents and industry professionals becoming particularly aware of a range of cyber vulnerabilities and threats. With the cost of launching a kilogram payload into space running into the thousands of dollars and the cost of a rocket or satellite running into the hundreds of millions, there is a clear financial incentive for space companies to protect their capital against cyber-attacks.
To ensure that they are protected, both government agencies and major industry partners must work on hacker-proofing technology within the entire space supply chain. Since satellites are performing a broad spectrum of functions, ranging from scientific research to military operations and commercial purposes, the industry needs a fully integrated approach across policy and technology to enhance resilience.
To mitigate risk in the long term, cyber-security standards should be set for satellites and the governing body to regulate and ensure their cyber-security. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will also play a crucial role in protecting government networks better and improving the space industry’s security posture here in the UK.
The modern world cannot run without satellites, making these space-based assets a prime target for cybercriminals. This challenge of safeguarding space infrastructure from hackers is unparalleled but not impossible and, by integrating innovative approaches across policy and technology, the industry can work to enhance its cyber resilience as we move through 2022.