The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) released a Cyber Brief this week on cybersecurity issues related to space activities as part of its Digital and Cyberspace Policy program.
“New government actors, companies, goals, and technologies are expanding and transforming space activities,” the report, written by David P. Fidler, adjunct senior fellow for Cybersecurity and Global Health at CFR, said. “However, neither space policy nor cybersecurity policy is prepared for the challenges created by the meshing of space and cyberspace, which could increase national security risks.”
The brief discussed the growing reliance of the internet on space-enabled communication and information services and the reliance of satellites and other space assets on Internet-based networks.
The report recommends that the Trump administration’s National Space Council develop cybersecurity recommendations for space activities and that Congress create legislation to support industry cybersecurity efforts for commercial space activities. The United States, the CFR brief said, should collaborate on space cybersecurity through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), plurilateral space cooperation mechanisms and bilateral forums.
The report also suggested that private-sector actors adopt cybersecurity best practices and collaborate with each other on improving implementation of cybersecurity strategies.
“Actions at the national, industry, and international levels can harness growing awareness about space cybersecurity and strengthen policy and industry practices as the convergence of space and cyberspace accelerates,” the brief said. “Outer space might not be the ‘final frontier for cybersecurity,’ but achieving cybersecurity beyond Earth is one of the many responsibilities the new era of space activities creates for governments and societies.”