Europes Management of Space Hybrid Threats Dr. Jana Robinson, Space - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

2018 International Astronautical Congress Session D5.4. Cyber-security threats to space missions and countermeasures to address them Bremen, October 5, 2018

Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

• Dr. Jana Robinson, Space Security Program Director

Lisa Perrichon, Project Assistant Jakub Pražák, Project Assistant Prague Security Studies Institute

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2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

Presentation Overview

• Introduction
• Space Hybrid Operations
• Growing Requirement for Space Infrastructure Resiliency
• Cyber as a “Go To” Counterspace Option
• Europe’s Preparedness to Address Space Hybrid Threats
• Policy Adjustments to Manage Evolving Space Security Environment
• Conclusion

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2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

Introduction

• Space infrastructure delivers valuable, and often, indispensable, services for the

European economy, society, security and defense

• Counterspace threats are of much greater concern due to increased technical

capabilities, worsening geopolitics and the ability of these threats to deliver asymmetric, strategic effects.

• Space hybrid operations are not new, but are more publically visible as they now pose a

major challenge to deterrence.

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2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

Growing Requirement for Space Infrastructure Resiliency

• Space assets have become more vulnerable to

intentional attacks by Europe’s authoritarian competitors;

• “Grey zone” operations permit a

competitor/adversary to achieve desired objectives

• r effects without triggering unwanted political or

military responses by other nations;

• Cascading effects of purposeful disruption would

cause major disruption, even paralysis, of many critical services, including transportation, banking, internet connectivity, etc.

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Europe’s Sentinel and Galileo satellites (source: SpaceNews)

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2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

Space Hybrid Operations

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• PSSI defines as: “intentional, temporary, mostly

reversible, and often harmful space actions/activities specifically designed to exploit the links to other domains and conducted just below the threshold of requiring meaningful military or political retaliatory responses”.

• Examples: low-energy lasers, rendezvous

and proximity operations, jamming/spoofing, cyber operations, economic and financial (E&F) space sector capture

• Common characteristics: ambiguous

attribution, temporary and reversible effects, low public profile

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PSSI

2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

Cyber as a “Go To” Counterspace Option

• Space dependency on cyber introduces asymmetric risks of

disruption

• Cyber attacks on space assets have multiple advantages over

kinetic attacks (e.g. plausible deniability, time-consuming attribution, muted public reaction, etc.)

• Configuring adequate defenses for both military and civilian
• perators complicated by continuous innovation and

transformation of IT

• Threats include: damage or destruction of spacecraft executed

via access to satellite’s controls; denial, degradation, or other manipulation of satellite transmissions; revealing satellite’s capabilities or information (e.g. resolution, imagery etc.); and compromising space-based networks

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Attacks on satellite-based Internet connections, as conducted by the Turla group between 2008 and 2016, are a cheap and efficient way to compromise foreign networks or cover illegal activities. (Credit: Kaspersky Lab)

2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

Cyber as a “Go To” Counterspace Option - continued

Simplified matrix of cyber threat to on-orbit space infrastructure

• Cyberattacks against space assets
• ften involve stealing information

(e.g. data, communications) and/or disrupting space infrastructure (e.g. systems, operations, capabilities, services)

• The National Institute of Standards

and Technology (NIST) of the U.S. Department of Commerce categorizes five types of cyber threats:

○ destruction of data;

modification of information; unauthorized access; disclosure

• f data; and denial of service

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2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

Europe’s Preparedness to Address Space Hybrid Threats

Information Flow in case of a hybrid threat (source: European Commission)

• Frameworks for collaboration to address hybrid threats

are being established, space has been considered only marginally

• Hybrid threats are listed as one of seven categories in a

December 2016 Joint Declaration of the EU and NATO Councils

• In 2016, the EU Hybrid Fusion Cell was established within

the EU Intelligence and Situation Centre (EU INTCEN) of the European External Action Service (EEAS). It facilitates EU-NATO cooperation on hybrid threats.

• In 2017, European Commission released report on the

implementation of the “Joint Framework on countering hybrid threats – a European Union response”

• In October 2017, the European Centre of Excellence for

Countering Hybrid Threats was established

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2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

Europe’s Preparedness to Address Space Hybrid Threats - continued

European Union Defense Ministers taking part in the simulated cyber attack exercise EU CYBRID 2017 in Tallinn, Estonia. (Credit: Annika Haas, EU2017EE)

• In 2004, the EU established the European Network and

Information Security Agency (ENISA) to enhance the national cyber resilience of EU member states;

• In 2013, EU adopted ”Cybersecurity Strategy of the European

Union: An Open, Safe and Secure Cyberspace” that required a near-term update due to rapid development of cyber technology;

• Updated cyber package, entitled “Resilience, Deterrence and

Defence: Building Strong Cybersecurity for the EU” was released in 2017;

• 2016 EU “Space Strategy for Europe” considers risk of

cyberattacks on space infrastructure;

• In 2016, NATO decided at its Warsaw Summit that cyber should

be viewed as fifth domain in which the Alliance must defend itself.

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2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

Policy Adjustments to Manage Evolving Space Security Environment

• An effort to centralize and focus deterrence, mitigation, response and

communications among relevant public authorities and private sector entities against cyber attacks already exists;

• Hybrid operations, including those stemming from cyber and economic and financial

(E&F) predations, need to be integrated into security architectures of individual NATO and EU member states;

• Inclusion of these threats will strengthen space infrastructure resiliency, deterrence,

and quick, effective responses;

• Failing to address the vulnerabilities at the junction of space and cyber could cause

major disruptions to not only European, but also global space security.

• Policies should focus on: greater awareness of the multitude of threats; resilient

architecture; creative deterrence options; response/crisis management procedures; secure incident reporting between public and private actors; capacity-building; and strong space partnerships;

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2018 International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Session D5.4., October 5, 2018 Europe’s Management of Space Hybrid Threats

Conclusion

• Building agile, sophisticated, and resilient

European space architectures will reduce vulnerabilities against cyberattacks and malevolent space-related economic and financial (E&F)

• perations;
• Accelerating inclusion of space in the category of

hybrid threats and building space-related considerations into broader security policies – already underway – will ensure that their integration into future EU and NATO policies is bolstered by adequate funding and human resources.

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