Space Cybersecurity Urged to Adopt Global Standards
Professor Jill Slay, along with Dr Daniel Floreani, recently addressed the growing concern of space cybersecurity at the second Cyber Risk Meetup in Adelaide. The event, held in February 2022, focused on creating a secure future in the space supply chain following the Viasat cyberattack that disrupted internet services for tens of thousands of satellite modems.
Professor Slay, who has developed new definitions and a space cyber security domain mapping, highlighted the rarity of direct cyber-attacks on satellites, with only around 100 documented incidents in contemporary times. However, she stressed the importance of proactive measures to secure the industry's future.
A paper by Gregory Falco of Johns Hopkins University, published in October 2022, echoed these concerns. It emphasized the lack of structured technical engagement in space cybersecurity and proposed the development of a technical standard for commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) modular space systems, such as CubeSats. Currently, internationally recognized safety standards for manufacturing and launching secure satellites include adherence to aerospace quality management systems like ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 for information security, as well as compliance with space mission assurance standards defined by organizations like the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) and NASA's Procedural Requirements.
The key takeaway from the meetup was the urgent need for internationally accepted standards in the manufacture and launch of secure satellites. Professor Slay's contributions, along with Dr Floreani's, underscore the importance of this issue and the necessity for collective action from both space and cybersecurity communities.
