Chinese scientists build system ‘to identify satellite security flaws’
- Researchers at a military laboratory say their system can both spot and fix problems that leave satellites vulnerable to cyberattacks
- Cyber defence system is needed given the increase in the number of satellites in orbit and the increasing risk from hackers, according to scientists
China has built a new cyber defence infrastructure that can automatically detect security weaknesses in orbiting satellites, according to military scientists involved in the project.
The Ontology of Cyber Situational Awareness for Satellites (OntoCSA4Sat), a computer system jointly developed by the National University of Defence Technology in Changsha and Beijing Aerospace Control Centre, maintains a detailed database of satellites, according to the researchers.
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Unlike other openly reported databases, the new system can discover a satellite’s possible weaknesses, determine the most efficient ways to hack it or recommend countermeasures.
“The cybersecurity arms race in space has intensified,” lead project scientist Liu Bin, based at a PLA science and technology lab, wrote in a paper published in the domestic journal Systems Engineering and Electronics late last month.
“For example, the US Space Force has established Space Delta 6, a space cyber combat brigade. The US Air Force and the National Security Agency are also developing space cyber weapons,” they wrote, adding that China’s space programme faces a “severe threat”.
Hacking a satellite has become a hot topic in the cybersecurity community in recent years. Since 2020, the US military has been hosting Hack-A-Sat, an annual competition that invites hackers to break into a real satellite.