Summary: Government and private-sector entities rely on satellites for services such as communication, navigation, remote sensing, imaging, and weather and meteorological support. Disruption of satellite services, whether intentional or not, can have a major adverse economic impact. Techniques to protect satellite systems from unauthorized use and disruption include the use of robust hardware on satellites, physical security and logical access controls at ground stations, and encryption of the signals for tracking and controlling the satellite and of the data being sent to and from satellites. When using commercial satellites, federal agencies reduce risks by securing the data links and ground stations that send and receive data. However, federal agencies do not control the security of the tracking and control links, satellites, or tracking and control ground stations, which are typically the responsibility of the satellite service provider. It is important to the nation's economy and security to protect against attacks on its computer-dependent critical infrastructures (such as telecommunications, energy, and transportation), many of which are privately owned. In light of the nation's growing reliance on commercial satellites to meet military, civil, and private sector requirements, omitting satellites from the nation's approach to protecting critical infrastructure leaves an important aspect of our nation's infrastructures without focused attention.
