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Satellite Cyber Security
Satellite technology & communications are evolving rapidly and so is the risk of cyber attacks. Learn what government and industry need know today to make better decisions for the future of satellite security.
What is Satellite Cyber Security & Why is it Important?
Satellite cybersecurity covers the measures, practices, and technologies used to protect satellites and their associated ground systems from cyber threats. For most of the industry’s history, security meant protecting the ground station. The satellite itself was considered out of reach.
That assumption has been overtaken by events. Nation-state attacks on satellite communications networks, the Viasat incident in 2022 being the most visible example, demonstrated that the space segment is not inherently protected by its distance from the attacker. Software-defined payloads, inter-satellite laser links, and shared-use constellations have further expanded the attack surface.
Regulators in the United States, European Union, and nations around the globe have responded. The question for satellite operators is no longer whether onboard cybersecurity will be required. It is whether their program is ready.
Satellite Cyber Security Topics
Unique Satellite Cyber Security Risks
Low Touch Environment
Hardware and software must remain operational with minimal
intervention for multiple years. At the same time, IT equipment in terrestrial environments gets patched weekly because software vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the (increasingly long) supply chain are identified.
Minimal onboard security capabilities
Rapidly evolving ecosystems with additional gateways and dynamic software
Satellites are built with minimal onboard resources while in orbit. As a result, the ecosystem is reliant on an out-dated security architecture which depends entirely on a single perimeter.
The gateway to the satellite is controlled through the ground station, and security efforts are made here, at the perimeter, rather than in a more modern zero-trust approach. As a result, a failure in the perimeter leaves the satellite unprotected.
New orbital capabilities are introducing device-to-device communications, space-based mesh networks, and physical interactions such as refueling and orbital boost. At the same time, payload technology is evolving to look more like terrestrial IT with multi-use and re-usable payloads that can be defined in software. On the ground, we now see ground-station's-as a-service with cloud components that have evolved the single-site ground station into a connected mesh of owned and leased services.
Three regulatory developments have changed the satellite cybersecurity landscape in the past eighteen months. Together, they signal that onboard security is moving from a future requirement to a present procurement reality.
CNSSP 12: In Effect Now
The updated US Committee on National Security Systems Policy 12 requires onboard intrusion detection for commercial operators whose products or services support US national security or intelligence missions. This is the most immediate commercial driver for satellite operators working with US government customers. Compliance is not a future obligation. It is a present procurement requirement.EU Space Act: In Review.The European Commission published its proposed
EU Space Act: Under review
The regulation is currently progressing through the EU legislative process, with the Parliament rapporteur's draft and the Council Presidency's compromise text both published in early 2026. If adopted, it would require continuous monitoring, active anomaly detection, and prompt detection of cyberattacks throughout the operational lifecycle of all spacecraft, for both EU and non-EU operators providing space services in Europe.
Five Eyes Nations: Joint Guidance
On March 25, 2026, Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, issued joint guidance on securing LEO satellite communications. The guidance calls out continuous monitoring and comprehensive audit log trails, with intrusion detection systems specifically referenced. It represents convergence across allied nations on active monitoring
DISC’s Satellite Cyber Security Solutions
Satellite Cyber Security Lab-as-a-Service
Both academia and industry partners use DISC’s Space Lab, to rapidly prototype new architectures and designs. We bring in satellite platforms to analyze and develop cyber security solutions to integrate with multiple partners. Our lab is continually expanding our research capabilities and technology.
eClypse - Satellite Intrusion Detection System
eClypse provides the essential on-board security needed to protect your data in space against cyber security threats on the ground or in orbit. Its flexible hardware integration process removes barriers allowing all satellites to get the security they need, agnostic of their platform. Apart from a truly independant ground station, the eClypse Sentinel Platform is one of the only ways to detect a ground station compromise.
Satellite Cyber Security Strategy & Consulting
DISC’s Threat Modelling Security Service provides an interactive approach to examining attack and defence situations allowing for a specialized perspective on the fundamental controls within a satellite system. We help identify potential risks and weaknesses early on, preventing them from spreading and expanding the range of ways a satellite could be targeted.
Satellite Cybersecurity Articles
Contact Us
Ready to assess your satellite program against current requirements?
Whether you need a documented threat baseline or a hardware IDS solution ready for procurement conversations, DISC can help you understand what current satellite cybersecurity requirements mean for your program
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