Thales seizes management of ESA satellite tv for pc in first Cybersecurity Train of its form
by Employees Writers
Paris, France (SPX) Apr 25, 2023
The European House Company (ESA) challenged cybersecurity specialists within the area business ecosystem to disrupt the operation of the company’s OPS-SAT demonstration nanosatellite. Individuals used a wide range of moral hacking strategies to take management of the system used to handle the payload’s international positioning system, angle management system1 and onboard digicam.
Unauthorised entry to those techniques could cause severe harm to the satellite tv for pc or result in a lack of management over its mission. Thales’s offensive cybersecurity group labored with the Group’s Data Expertise Safety Analysis Facility (ITSEF2) for this distinctive train, which demonstrates the necessity for a excessive stage of cyber resilience within the very particular working atmosphere of area.
The Thales group of 4 cybersecurity researchers accessed the satellite tv for pc’s onboard system, used normal entry rights to realize management of its software atmosphere, after which exploited a number of vulnerabilities to introduce malicious code into the satellite tv for pc’s techniques.
This made it potential to compromise the information despatched again to Earth, particularly by modifying the pictures captured by the satellite tv for pc’s digicam, and to attain different targets resembling masking chosen geographic areas within the satellite tv for pc imagery whereas concealing their actions to keep away from detection by ESA. The demonstration was organised particularly for CYSAT to assist assess the potential affect of an actual cyberattack and the implications for civilian techniques.
All through the train, ESA had entry to the satellite tv for pc’s techniques to retain management and guarantee a return to regular operation.
“Thales is grateful to ESA and the CYSAT organisers for offering this distinctive alternative to display the power of our specialists to establish vulnerabilities in a satellite tv for pc system. With the rising variety of navy in addition to civil purposes which are reliant on satellite tv for pc techniques in the present day, the area business must take cybersecurity into consideration at each stage within the satellite tv for pc’s life cycle, from preliminary design to techniques improvement and upkeep.
“This unprecedented train was an opportunity to boost consciousness of potential flaws and vulnerabilities in order that they are often remediated extra successfully, and to adapt present and future options to enhance the cyber resilience of satellites and area programmes normally, together with each floor segments and orbital techniques.” Pierre-Yves Jolivet, VP Cyber Options, Thales.
In a presentation on 27 April by Thales specialists and members of the ESA group, CYSAT contributors can discover out extra concerning the assault situation used on this first demonstration of offensive cybersecurity strategies, ways and procedures.
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