Expert Issues Dire Warning About Cyber Threats to Military, Commercial Satellites

WASHINGTON – SmallSat Alliance Chairman Chuck Beames issued a dire warning during his keynote address that kicked off the Satellite 2023 Conference on Monday.

“Make no mistake, we are at war. Our adversaries are fighting hard,” he said, warning of threats to the satellite networks that U.S. military and industry are dependent on.

Although much attention has been paid to anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons that could blind or destroy satellites, Beames said the most serious threat lies in the areas of software and cybersecurity – which has been described as the “soft underbelly” of global satellite networks.

America’s adversaries don’t just consider military satellites as targets, but they are looking at all of the satellite networks that the United States and its allies depend upon, he added. The winner of this new war will be able to dictate how space is used and by whom.

Beames said it wouldn’t be too difficult for an adversary to gain control of the Global Positioning System (GPS), a constellation of satellites that provide navigation and other services. GPS is so deeply embedded in daily life that the U.S. economy would collapse if that happened. The resulting economic chaos would make the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank look like a minor disruption by comparison, he warned.

Over the years, there have been a hodgepodge of cybersecurity solutions implemented, Beames said. Some of these have worked, at least for a while. But, serious vulnerabilities remain.

Amid the dire warnings, Beames did say there is a bright spot. The U.S. government and industry are advancing a “Zero Trust Architecture.” It is predicated on the assumption that data networks are compromised from the start. Each data record would have cybersecurity around it, and only those authorized to view it would be able to do so.

Beames said he was encouraged that the government is looking to the commercial sector for answers rather than trying to dictate solutions.

A subsequent panel of experts covered a broader range of threats to satellite networks and supporting equipment on the ground. Joseph Rickers, vice president of military space protected communications for Lockheed Martin, listed cyberattacks, direct ascent and co-orbital ASATs, directed energy weapons, tactical jamming and physical attacks among the threats.

Randy Villahermosa, vice president of Product at SpinLaunch, said adversaries have different weapons than they did 20 years ago. Nations are increasingly using space for military strategy and national pride. There has also been a tremendous amount of commercial activity in space.

Villahermosa warned that satellite operators will be pulled into an environment in which they will be expected to have offensive and defensive capabilities on their spacecraft. The resulting increase in requirements will cost U.S. companies speed, optionality and effectiveness, he said.

In addition to protecting satellites in space, ground stations and launch facilities need to be protected in addition to satellites in space, Villahermosa said.

Sam Visner, vice chairman of the Space Information and Analysis Center, said the government and industry need to find incentives and other ways to improve security without reducing speed and effectiveness.