Space Community Confronts Gap in Cybersecurity

International Space Station pictured over Cyclone Freddy

Cybersecurity had to be retrofitted onto the International Space Station—pictured here over Cyclone Freddy this year—because it was designed before the discipline was generally applied to spacecraft.

Credit: Nicole Mann/NASA
Spacecraft, almost by definition, exist at the cutting edge of human technological capability. Yet in at least one vital aspect, they lag behind less exotic terrestrial products. “The [International] Space Station had no cybersecurity until 2016. When they launched, they just didn’t think about that...
Angus Batey

Angus Batey has been contributing to various titles within the Aviation Week Network since 2009, reporting on topics ranging from defense and space to business aviation, advanced air mobility and cybersecurity.

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