Bipartisan legislation recently re-introduced in the U.S. Senate would help commercial satellite owners and operators defend against growing cybersecurity threats.
The Satellite Cybersecurity Act would help secure commercial satellites used for global communications, weather forecasts, agriculture, GPS navigation, scientific research, and other purposes against attacks by hackers, foreign adversaries and cybercriminals.
Under the bill, the Department of Commerce, in coordination with other federal agencies, would be required to develop voluntary cybersecurity recommendations tailored to satellites and to create a publicly available website for best practices and information on securing systems.
The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to examine efforts to secure commercial satellites from cyber threats, identify duplicate efforts and assess how satellite systems integrate into critical infrastructure sectors.
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Gary Peters (D-MI), of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee ranking member, reintroduced the bill.
“Foreign adversaries and cybercriminals continue to target cybersecurity vulnerabilities in commercial satellites, and these attacks have the potential to significantly disrupt American lives and livelihoods,” Peters said.
Many satellites transmit sensitive data without adequate safeguards, and experts warn that interception and cyberattacks could have dire economic and security consequences. Approximately 50 percent of satellite signals are unencrypted, according to recent studies.