Security News > 2023 > July > Satellites lack standard security mechanisms found in mobile phones and laptops

Researchers from Ruhr University Bochum and the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security in Saarbrücken have assessed the security mechanisms of satellites currently orbiting the Earth from an IT perspective.

They analyzed three current low-earth orbit satellites and found that, from a technical point of view, only some modern security concepts were implemented.

Various security mechanisms that are standard in modern mobile phones and laptops were not to be found: for example, there was no separation of code and data.

The examined satellites were two small models and one medium-sized model - research satellites as well as a satellite of a commercial company - which orbit the Earth at a short distance and are used to observe the Earth.

Only a few said that they encrypt data when communicating with satellites or use authentication in order to ensure that only the ground station is allowed to communicate with the satellite.

"Today, systems can be figured out through reverse engineering and their vulnerabilities can be identified. One of the goals of our project was therefore to bring the satellite and security communities together to promote a mutual understanding of the challenges of space applications and of the security standards that are in use today," Schloegel concluded.

News URL

https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2023/07/14/satellite-security-mechanisms/