Outer space

Cybersecurity and the New Era of Space Activities

Outer space has been a national security priority for spacefaring nations since the 1950s. Governments started space programs for intelligence, military, political, and scientific purposes and developed countermeasures against space-based threats from rivals, such as anti-satellite capabilities. Countries managed security competition by banning weapons of mass destruction in space and cooperating on peaceful uses of space. Government programs catalyzed private-sector adaptation of dual-use technologies to provide satellite communication services.

Despite the importance of satellites, the U.S. General Accounting Office concluded [PDF] in 2002 that efforts on critical infrastructure protection did not include the satellite industry, but should do so. Similarly, cybersecurity has not been a priority in government and private-sector space endeavors. One leading analysis [PDF] asserted that cybersecurity discussions often overlook space activities’ vulnerability to cyberattack. For example, neither the UN governmental group of experts (GGE) on outer space nor the UN GGE on cyberspace addressed the convergence of their respective agendas.