Space remains vulnerable to cyber attack

As Australia looks to play a growing role in the space sector, it will be crucial to address space technology’s vulnerability to cyber attacks, according to Vinicius de Oliveira, a lawyer and PhD candidate at Flinders University.

The launch of the Australian Space Agency and Australia’s involvement in the Artemis Moon to Mars program shows that space has recaptured the attention of policymakers and industry, de Oliveira said.

In addition, Australia recently hosted the first NASA launch from its territory in 25 years and the first from a commercial facility outside of the US with the launch of a NASA Black Brand IX suborbital sounding rocket from the Arnhem Space Centre in the NT last year. Lawmakers have a target of growing the sector into a $12 billion industry in the next decade.

But de Oliveira warned that despite the enthusiasm, as well as the growing importance of space to Australian defence, industry and civil society, space technology remains very exposed to cyber attacks.

“Many of the characteristics that define this recent phase of space, now called NewSpace, contribute to greater use of cyber attacks against space infrastructures, such as the use of cheaper technologies for the development of satellites, which creates more entry points in space technologies for attacks,” he said.

Other factors are influencing exposure to cyber attacks, according to de Oliveira. These include the enhanced number of space players — which adds complexity to an already intricate scenario — and the growing orbit congestion, which minimises the likelihood of kinetic attacks, such as missiles, due to the shared collateral effect of spreading space debris into the space environment.

A successful attack on space infrastructure could devastate Australia’s economy and disrupt its critical infrastructure and essential services, de Oliveira said.

“These risks can be exacerbated or mitigated, depending on the government’s ability to properly address the cybersecurity of its space infrastructure at the domestic policy and legal levels. Therefore, it is important to assess the overall maturity of the Australian framework on the subject,” he said.

“My research analyses the documents that compose this framework and engages with important space stakeholders, such as the Australian Space Agency and the European Space Policy Institute, through a series of workshops, to understand how Australia perceives the cybersecurity of its space infrastructure.”

The goal of the research is to examine the current state of Australia’s policy and legal framework in the topic, analyse how the domestic framework protects the country against cyberthreats in space, and identify gaps and opportunities, de Oliveira said.

“Nowadays, due to the massive use of space services and applications in our daily lives, the distinction between being safe on space and being safe on Earth does not make much sense anymore. Consequently, only by thoughtfully assessing this background, Australia can be truly safe and maintain its great momentum on space in a sustainable, secure and predictable manner.”

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