US Warns Space Industry of Growing Risks of Spying and Satellite Attacks

(Bloomberg) — The US intelligence community is warning the domestic space industry of the growing risk of espionage and satellite attacks from China, Russia and other adversaries.

US space-related companies are at risk of “cyberattacks, strategic investment (including joint ventures and acquisitions), the targeting of key supply chain nodes and other techniques to gain access to the space industry,” says a bulletin issued jointly by the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Air Force on Friday.

The warning, which says such foreign intelligence operations pose a risk to company secrets as well as “disrupting and degrading US satellite communications, remote sensing and imaging capabilities” comes after several recent attacks on satellites and mounting recognition that both the US economy and national security increasingly rely on space.

The warning advises companies to log anomalies, establish an insider-threat program to hunt out moles, and be wary of requests to visit from foreign entities and of outreaches at conferences and online. It also warns about “unsolicited offers to establish joint ventures with companies tied to foreign governments or state-owned enterprises.”

READ MORE HERE