Satellites and cybersecurity

Best listening experience is on Chrome, Firefox or Safari. Subscribe to Fed Tech Talk’s audio interviews on Apple Podcasts or PodcastOne.

In the middle of the Covid-19 health care crisis there was another cyber crisis that sank to the bottom of the news. The Russians maneuvered a satellite dangerously close to an expensive American reconnaissance satellite. Accidents can happen, but this was intentional.

From a cyber perspective, what happens if the signal from that satellite gets blocked? Assets on the ground can become cut off. Key systems that rely on satellite communications can have a deleterious effect on the Department of Defense.

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt.  Gen. Chris Bogdan is currently a senior vice president at Booz Allen Hamilton and he shares with the listening audience some of his concerns about cybersecurity and data that originates from satellites.

Brogdan highlighted innovation in sharing awareness of cyber threats – an Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) specifically dedicated to space. During the interview he indicated that Booz Allen Hamilton is a founding member in this Space ISAC. Bogdan details how space junk, interference and the unfortunate collision of satellites — called a conjunction in the business — can impact data all over the world.

While much of the DoD was concerned with securing remote access, our adversaries in cyberspace are showing why they are increasingly being called “near peer adversaries.”

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.