Between hijacked satellites and orbiting space weapons, space is the next frontier in the fight for global dominance,
Euronews reports.
As Russia held its Victory Day parade this year, hackers backing the Kremlin hijacked an orbiting satellite that provides television service to Ukraine.
Instead of normal programing, Ukrainian viewers saw parade footage beamed in from Moscow: waves of tanks, soldiers, and weaponry. The message was meant to intimidate, and it was also an illustration that 21st century war is waged not just on land, sea, and air but also in cyberspace and the reaches of outer space.
Disabling a satellite could deal a devastating blow without a single bullet, and it can be done by targeting the satellite's security software or disrupting its ability to send or receive signals from Earth.
“If you can impede a satellite's ability to communicate, you can cause a significant disruption,” said Tom Pace, CEO of NetRise, a cybersecurity firm focused on protecting supply chains.
“Think about GPS,” he said. “Imagine if a population lost that, and the confusion it would cause”.
More than 12,000 operating satellites now orbit the planet, playing a critical role not just in broadcast communications but also in military operations, navigation systems like GPS, intelligence gathering, and economic supply chains.
They are also key to early launch-detection efforts, which can warn of approaching missiles.
That makes them a significant national security vulnerability, and a prime target for anyone looking to undermine an adversary's economy or military readiness – or to deliver a psychological blow like the hackers supporting Russia did when they hijacked television signals to Ukraine.
