Space infrastructures are becoming more and more important for the state, the economy and society. At the same time, however, the threat situation is also increasing, making comprehensive IT security measures for the space market ever more crucial. The cyber security risks to which the New Space sector is exposed and how these can be addressed is currently being researched as part of the “New Space Cyber Security Risk Analysis” project commissioned by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). TÜVIT is involved as a project partner.
The overarching aim of the project is to carry out the preparatory work for a corresponding technical guideline for the New Space sector. The project is managed by the consulting firm CGI, which has already performed a comprehensive risk analysis to assess the cyber threat situation in the context of New Space. This included all life phases, space, ground and user segments as well as various characteristic missions.
The results of the risk analysis are the starting point for the TÜVIT experts. It is now their task to develop countermeasures for the respective risks in order to keep the existing residual risk to IT security as low as possible. “With regard to ground stations, one potential risk would be, for example, that an intruder could take over the controls. Our role is then to determine which security measures could prevent such a scenario,” says Lead Expert Sven Bettendorf. In this context, the experts also look at what measures can be taken from existing norms and standards and where there is still a need for action in terms of development. Thus, appropriate requirements and measures are identified on the basis of the risk analysis. In this way, the theoretical foundation for a space-related technical guideline will be established so that an appropriate level of security can be guaranteed in the New Space sector in the future. The BSI is expected to publish the project results in the first half of 2025.
