Before you can detect an intrusion, you need to know what you are defending against. DISC’s threat assessment provides satellite operators and mission designers with a clear, prioritized view of their attack surface before it becomes a procurement liability.
Satellite Cyber Security
Threat Assessment
What the Assessment Delivers
Every satellite has a different architecture, mission profile, and risk tolerance. Off-the-shelf security checklists miss attack scenarios specific to your platform. DISC’s assessment is built around your satellite’s actual information flows, not a template.
What you receive:
Platform-specific threat inventory: A prioritized list of threats mapped to your satellite’s specific architecture and mission. Not a generic checklist. Findings reflect your actual information flows, command-and-control interfaces, and payload configuration.
Dual-framework cross-reference: Findings mapped against both the US SPARTA framework and ESA Space Shield. DISC identifies threats covered by each framework, gaps between them, and scenarios specific to your platform.
Prioritized risk treatment recommendations. Recommendations ranked by operational impact, not theoretical severity. Designed to support decisions about where to invest in security architecture before design lock or procurement commitment.
Documented compliance baseline: A written baseline that supports procurement conversations, regulatory compliance preparation under CNSSP 12 and EU Space Law, and integration planning for onboard security hardware.
Why do a Satellite Cyber Security Threat Assessment?
Ensure your business is ready.
Who This is For
DISC’s threat assessment is designed for organizations that are:
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Specifying security architecture for a new satellite program and need a validated threat baseline before design lock
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Responding to CNSSP 12, EU Space Law, or Five Eyes guidance and need documented evidence of threat assessment activity
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Evaluating onboard security solutions and want an independent threat picture before committing to hardware integration
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Operating an existing constellation and need to understand current exposure ahead of a security upgrade cycle
The Frameworks
DISC’s threat assessment aligns findings to two major international frameworks for satellite cybersecurity.
SPARTA: Developed by Aerospace Corporation, it draws on the MITRE ATT&CK framework and reflects US operational risk philosophy, with particular emphasis on ground-to-space attack scenarios and near-total compromise events. SPARTA is increasingly referenced in US government procurement specifications.
Space Shield: Developed by the European Space Agency, Space Shield focuses on data integrity and operational degradation scenarios, with emphasis on in-space threats.
DISC cross-references both frameworks. We identify which threats appear in one framework but not the other, and which are specific to your satellite’s architecture and mission and are not captured by either framework. That gap analysis is where the assessment's operational value lies.
When to Commission a Threat Assessment
A threat assessment can be completed at any stage of a satellite program, but delivers the greatest value when commissioned early.
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At the beginning of mission design, before security architecture decisions are locked in
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Before a satellite is approved for manufacturing, when design changes are still cost-effective
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Before a procurement conversation with a government customer who requires documented threat assessment evidence
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When preparing for regulatory compliance under CNSSP 12 or ahead of EU Space Law adoption
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When evaluating whether onboard hardware IDS is required for your specific mission risk profile
From Assessment to Integration
A completed threat assessment gives your program a documented, prioritized threat baseline. For operators who determine that an onboard intrusion detection capability is required, whether driven by regulatory requirements or mission risk appetite, DISC’s eClypse hardware IDS is designed to address the detection gaps identified by the assessment.
eClypse is not the only outcome of a DISC threat assessment.
The findings support any decision regarding onboard security architecture. But for operators who want a bus-integrated hardware solution purpose-built for the space segment, the threat assessment and eClypse integration work is designed to flow directly from one to the other.
Ready to define your threat baseline?
Whether you are early in mission design or preparing for a procurement conversation, DISC can scope an assessment for your program.
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