Space systems need space security in much the same way as business systems do but they also face several unique security challenges.
These include space cybersecurity threats, which require considerable experience and knowledge to address.
Space security relates to guaranteed access to space and the ability to freely exploit space for various purposes. There was a time not long ago, when space security was defined in military terms in relation to the strategic balance between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Space security is still a factor in regards to national security, but today it involves so much more with the meteoric rise of private satellite enterprises that provide everything from telecommunications and GPS to weather monitoring.
The cybercriminal knows that satellite operations are led by technologies that are housed on earth. Because of this, those earth-bound entry points offer cyber-attacks with an enormous number of potential inroads for hacking. The vast number of entry points also compounds the difficulty of tracing and shutting down a cyber-attack.
One the most significant weaknesses common to all satellite systems is the use of long-range telemetry for communication with ground stations. The uplinks and downlinks are often transmitted through open telecom network security protocols that are accessed by cybercriminals rather handily.
And of course, IoT devices (powered by 5G advances) that make use of satellite communications pose additional potential points of entry for bad actors.
Most cybersecurity professionals today advice organizations – both corporate and government – to focus on securing all points of entry in all matters involving space operations.
One of those modalities of securement involves implementing robust encryption for every piece of data that is transferred to or from any satellite. Encryption is a process that encodes a message or data file so that it can be only be read by certain people.
Because of the important challenges facing countries in the area of space cybersecurity, space cybersecurity training programs backed by the International Society of Space and Security Specialists (ISSSS) are become increasingly popular.
Tonex offers one such program called Certified Space Security Specialist Professional (CSSSP).
Want to know more about space cybersecurity? Tonex offers Space Operations and Cybersecurity training programs that focus on priorities to assist space systems and combat readiness. Our training programs, courses, seminars and certifications provide space technologies and operational capabilities, operational missions of space lift, satellite communications, EO-IR sensor capabilities, AI and sensor fusion, missile warning and space control.
Our Space Operations and Cybersecurity courses include:
Certified Space Security Specialist Professional (CSSSP) (5 days)
Fundamentals of Positioning, Navigation and Timing | PNT Training (2 days)
Space Mission Systems Engineering Training (2 days)
Space Systems Engineering Fundamentals (2 days)
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.