Smaller Space-Ops Cybersecurity Focus Sought

Smaller players and new entrants in the commercial space sector need to be aware of cybersecurity threats and make cybersecurity a focus when designing their systems, panelists said Friday at an FCBA cybersecurity committee webinar. Space cybersecurity needs to be holistic, looking at systems from ground stations and antennas to spectrum and software, not just the satellites themselves, said Jaisha Wray, an NTIA associate administrator who until last year was National Security Council Cybersecurity Directorate international cyber policy director. Wray said standard cybersecurity practices can secure space systems, but an added complication is that space systems are physically difficult to access once deployed and cybersecurity activities must be done remotely. That's a big reason cybersecurity must be integrated into system design, she said. Panelists were bearish on cybersecurity regulation. "The second you write a prescriptive regulation ... it's already too late," with hackers and malware ready to circumvent rules, said Inmarsat Senior Vice President-Global Regulatory Donna Bethea-Murphy. She said many operators design systems to be encrypted and secure and comply with such standards. Wray said development of the White House's 2020 cybersecurity space policy (see 2009040042) focused on trying to ensure following voluntary principles. The U.S. can "take it on the road," talk to international partners, make suggestions to other governments and collaborate. Wray said the State Department has been carrying this forward. She said international companies joining the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center is a hopeful sign.