Image: DVIDS
What’s New: A warning from Department of Defense that Russia and China are interested in disrupting U.S. spaces assets with cyberattacks.
Why It’s Important: The U.S. is far more dependent on space than any other nation. It is a source of strength and weakness. – This is especially true with GPS and PNT.
What Else to Know:
- We agree with MS Eoyang that there are huge vulnerabilities and threats.
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We disagree that ground assets are the most likely targets for cyberattacks.
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Disruption of GPS PNT signals are happening everyday and are cyberattacks. They deny or manipulate data and degrade the operation of numerous IT systems.
- And while DOD still seems to be having the “Is it electronic warfare or is it cyber?” debate, NIST and others have concluded it is a cyber problem.
Space assets are in foreign adversaries’ cyber crosshairs, DOD official says
The easiest targets are ground assets like operation centers and launch facilities, said Mieke Eoyang.
SAN FRANCISCO — U.S. adversaries including China and Russia are showing increased interest in disrupting American space assets through cyberattacks that could cripple military communications, a top DOD cyber official said Thursday.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy Mieke Eoyang said nation-state hackers are mulling disrupting space assets “at all segments,” and emphasized ground stations that transmit data to satellites and space stations are easiest to target.
“The cybersecurity of the space systems — the ways in which the information from space flows across networks to enable traffic — is something that we’re very worried about,” she told an audience at RSA Conference in San Francisco.
