CYBERSECURITY FUNDAMENTALS FOR SPACE

Course Overview:

This 5-day course provides a thorough introduction to space system cybersecurity, focusing on securing systems throughout their entire lifecycle. Students will gain practical skills through labs, covering architecture vulnerabilities, threat mapping, and tailored security controls, culminating in a capstone simulation where students will experience and “fight through” attacks in cyberspace against their own virtualized satellite.

Target Audience:

  • Engineers (i.e., Systems Security, Safety, Aerospace, Software, Controls, Electrical, Mechanical, etc.)
  • Cybersecurity Practitioners
  • Space Industry Professionals

Course Schedule:

Day Topics Labs
Day1 Introduction to Orbital Mechanics, Space Systems Architectures Attack Surface Enumeration
Day2 Cybersecurity Concepts for Space Systems, Radio Frequency Fundamentals, Threats to Space Systems Heat Mapping of Threat Activity, Team CTF: Orbital Shield
Day3 Secure Design for Space Systems, Defense in Depth for Space Systems, Space System Risk Space System Risk Assessments
Day4 Security Controls for Space Systems Security Controls Application
Day5 Capstone Project: Satellite Defense Simulation

Academic Lessons:

  1. Cybersecurity Concepts for Space Systems
    Explore foundational cybersecurity principles for space systems, including the CIA triad, network security, and secure design methodologies.

  2. Space Systems Architectures
    Detailed exploration of space system components across ground, space, and user segments. This lesson covers design decisions that impact security and the importance of lifecycle management in maintaining resilient systems.

  3. Radio Frequency Fundamentals
    Learn the basics of radio frequency (RF) communication for satellite systems, including RF wave characteristics, modulation techniques, and environmental factors like interference and attenuation. Understand how cybersecurity integrates with RF systems to protect against threats such as jamming and eavesdropping.

  4. Orbital Mechanics Fundamentals
    Introduces the foundational principles of orbital mechanics, including key concepts like orbital velocity, altitude, and inclination. Learn about the factors that influence satellite motion, such as gravitational perturbations, atmospheric drag, and solar radiation pressure, and explore how Two-Line Element Sets (TLEs) are used for satellite tracking and operations.

  5. Threats to Space Systems
    Learn about the various types of cyber and physical threats targeting space systems, with an emphasis on identifying vulnerabilities. Real-world case studies are used to understand these threats, and the SPARTA framework is introduced to map and analyze them.

  6. Defense in Depth for Space Systems
    Understand how to apply layered security across space system components. Defense-in-depth strategies aim to reduce risks by combining multiple controls at the ground, link, and space levels.

To earn the Cybersecurity Fundamentals for Space Certificate, you must pass the summative course exam with a score of at least 75%.

  1. Space System Risk
    This lesson focuses on assessing and mitigating risks to space systems. Students will be taught how to calculate notional risk scores, determine system criticality, and apply risk management strategies that balance security with operational effectiveness.

  2. Security Controls for Space Systems
    Explore how security controls such as encryption, authentication, and access controls can be tailored to protect space systems. Learn how to apply NIST SP 800-53 controls to enhance system resilience.

The Cybersecurity Fundamentals for Space program is an ANAB-accredited certificate program delivered by CT Cubed, the accredited certificate issuer, in accordance with ANSI/ANAB E2659.

Labs:

  1. Attack Surface Enumeration
    Students will analyze a CubeSat’s architecture to map out its vulnerabilities and potential attack vectors, learning how to assess exposure to cyber threats.

  2. Heat Mapping of Threat Activity
    This lab introduces the SPARTA framework to visually map and prioritize threats. Participants will create heat maps to assess the likelihood and severity of attacks on space systems.

  3. Space System Risk Assessments
    Participants will perform risk assessments to evaluate potential threats against space systems, using notional and tailored risk scores. They will also analyze system criticality and propose risk mitigation strategies.

  4. Security Controls Application
    Students will apply a set of space-specific security controls to a legacy system, learning how to tailor these controls to address vulnerabilities and bring the system up to modern security standards.

  5. Team CTF: Orbital Shield
    Student teams face off against a fictional adversary to defeat their space-based threat. By completing a series of challenges, students will learn firsthand the experience of performing attacks against satellite systems and seeing their effects in real time.

Capstone Project: Satellite Defense Simulation

In this immersive capstone, student teams must secure their satellite and ground station infrastructure against a series of attacks. With limited resources, teams will strategize how best to allocate defenses, using all knowledge from previous lessons and labs. Over several rounds, students will operate and monitor their virtual satellite for evidence of compromise. They must react in real-time to evolving threats, simulating both satellite operator and security analyst roles. This experiential exercise challenges students to think analytically and creatively under pressure to defeat sophisticated attacks.