A satellite network cyberattack could prove disastrous for the global economy, as numerous industries increasingly rely on satellite systems, such as GPS.
The best way to prevent a cyberattack is to integrate flexible, upgradable cybersecurity systems at the design stage of the network, according to Paul Kostek, principal systems engineer at aerospace software firm Air Direct Solutions and senior member at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Giving the example of AT&T’s July announcement that a hacker had stolen data from nearly all of its customers, Kostek tells Connectivity Business News that AT&T did not disclose the financial consequences of the hack. Damage control following a cyberattack can have an “enormous cost” compared with designing a secure network from the start, he says in this episode of “The Dish” podcast.
Satellite networks are becoming more vulnerable to cyberattacks as terrestrial markets become dependent on their capabilities, Kostek says. For instance, if GPS satellites were shut off or compromised, global navigation systems would be halted.
“The cost can be pretty extraordinary,” Kostek says. “When you look at what’s going on in the marketplace today, you’ve got new GPS satellites being launched that cost billions of dollars.”
More satellites equal more risk
A July report by ESA estimates the number of objects in space to be 35,000 compared with approximately 30,000 in 2022.
And as space becomes increasingly crowded, cybersecurity is more critical than ever, Kostek tells CBN.
“If you look at commercial space nowadays, which is exploding, you have people building payloads that are being launched that may have no cybersecurity,” Kostek says.
Satellites that aren’t built to have cybersecurity can be hacked to cause a collision or damaged to the point at which they can no longer handle the space environment, resulting in an inadvertent collision, he says.
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