UCCS Joins the Space ISAC Board
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, May 7th, 2020 – Today, the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) and the National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) announced that the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) has joined the Space ISAC as a founding member. Gretchen Bliss, the Director of UCCS Cybersecurity Programs, will sit on the Space ISAC Board.
UCCS and the NCC, which serves as the operational arm of the Space ISAC, have been partners since the NCC’s founding. Now, as UCCS becomes a Space ISAC founding board member, that partnership extends to the Space ISAC and enhances the ISAC’s access to Colorado’s space and cybersecurity ecosystems and one of Colorado’s higher education institutions developing cybersecurity engineers.
“UCCS is uniquely positioned to provide the cybersecurity workforce and research that industry and government are looking for with the headquarters of the Space ISAC, National Cybersecurity Center and Exponential Impact located in our Cybersecurity Building,” Bliss said. “Our students and faculty will be able to collaborate with the leading organizations, government, academia and industry in the space and cybersecurity fields on education, training and research to provide timely, effective solutions to hard problems at the national level.”
Frank Backes, Chairman of the Space ISAC Board and Senior Vice President of Kratos Federal Space, said, “I am excited to work with UCCS on the Space ISAC board of directors. UCCS has been a thought leader in the Colorado Springs space and cybersecurity communities. The Space ISAC board is made up of organizations that are committed to the security of the global space critical infrastructure. UCCS shares that same passion and has backed that passion up with significant cybersecurity community investments of resources, facilities, and expertise.”
Erin Miller, Vice President of Operations for Space ISAC, at the National Cybersecurity Center, said, “With their cybersecurity program spanning across the College of Engineering, College of Business, and College of Public Affairs, UCCS is bringing a focus on cybersecurity specific to space unlike any other university. With the university’s proximity and close ties to both the U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command, their partnership will help the Space ISAC and our future growth of training programs reach untapped potential.”
The Space ISAC is the only space-dedicated ISAC and is made possible through the investment by its board and founding members. Its board, which held its third meeting in March, is comprised of leaders in the space industry, cybersecurity sectors, academia, and FFRDCs, and includes Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH), MITRE, SES, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN), Purdue University, the Space Dynamics Laboratory, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the Aerospace Corporation, and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
Each board member has a role in fulfilling the mission of the ISAC: to facilitate collaboration across the global space industry to enhance our ability to prepare for and respond to vulnerabilities, incidents, and threats; to disseminate timely and actionable information among member entities; and to serve as the primary communications channel for the sector with respect to this information.
To visit the brand-new Space ISAC website, please visit: www.s-isac.org.
BACKGROUND
ISACs are sector-specific, member-driven organizations stood up by the commercial sector with support from the federal government to collect, analyze, and disseminate cyber and physical security threats and risk mitigation information to critical infrastructure owners, operators, and members to increase resiliency.
The need for a Space ISAC was conceived by the Science & Technology Partnership Forum in 2017 in response to recognized information sharing gaps within the cybersecurity and space community with the goal of enhancing the community’s ability to prepare for and respond to vulnerabilities, incidents, and threats; disseminate timely information; and serve as the primary communications channel for the sector with respect to this information. The Forum shared this vision at the 34th Space Symposium in April 2018. In September 2018, the White House published the White House’s National Cyber Strategy, which stated that “the Administration will enhance efforts to protect our space assets and support infrastructure from evolving cyber threats,” while working “with industry and international partners to strengthen the cyber resilience of existing and future space systems.”
The Space ISAC was announced in April 2019 during a classified session at the 35th Space Symposium and is headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, co-located with the National Cybersecurity Center.
FOUNDING MEMBERS
About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.
Kratos develops and fields transformative, affordable technology, platforms and systems for United States National Security related customers, allies and commercial enterprises. Kratos is changing the way breakthrough technology for these industries are rapidly brought to market through proven commercial and venture capital backed approaches, including proactive research and streamlined development processes. Kratos specializes in unmanned systems, satellite communications, cyber security/warfare, microwave electronics, missile defense, hypersonic systems, training and combat systems, and next-generation turbojet and turbo-fan engine development. For more information go to www.KratosDefense.com.
About Booz Allen Hamilton
For more than 100 years, military, government, and business leaders have turned to Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH) to solve their most complex problems. As a consulting firm with experts in analytics, digital, engineering, and cyber, we help organizations transform. We are a key partner on some of the most innovative programs for governments worldwide and trusted by their most sensitive agencies. We work shoulder to shoulder with clients, using a mission-first approach to choose the right strategy and technology to help them realize their vision. With global headquarters in McLean, Virginia and more than 80 offices worldwide, our firm employs more than 26,100 people and had revenue of $6.7 billion for the 12 months ending March 31, 2019. To learn more, visit www.BoozAllen.com.
About MITRE
MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through public-private partnerships and our federally funded R&D centers, we work across government to tackle challenges to the safety, stability, and well-being of our nation. For more information about MITRE, please visit www.MITRE.org.
About SES
SES is the world’s leading satellite operator with over 70 satellites in two different orbits, Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). It provides a diverse range of customers with global video distribution and data connectivity services through two business units: SES Video and SES Networks. SES Video reaches over 355 million TV homes, through Direct-to-Home (DTH) platforms and cable, terrestrial, and IPTV networks globally. SES Video delivers a full suite of innovative end-to-end value-added services for both linear and digital distribution, and includes the ASTRA satellite system, which has the largest DTH television reach in Europe. SES Networks provides global managed data services, connecting people in a variety of sectors including telecommunications, maritime, aeronautical, and energy, as well as governments and institutions across the world. The SES Networks portfolio includes GovSat, a 50/50 public-private partnership between SES and the Luxembourg government, and O3b, the only non-geostationary system delivering fibre-like broadband services today. Further information is available at: www.ses.com.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. For more information, visit www.lockheedmartin.com/cyber.
About Parsons
Parsons (NYSE: PSN) is a leading disruptive technology provider for the future of global defense, intelligence, and critical infrastructure, with capabilities across cybersecurity, missile defense, space, connected infrastructure, and smart cities. Please visit parsons.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook to learn how we’re making an impact.
About Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman solves the toughest problems in space, aeronautics, defense and cyberspace to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers worldwide. Our 90,000 employees define possible every day using science, technology and engineering to create and deliver advanced systems, products and services. For more information, visit www.northropgrumman.com.
About Purdue University
Purdue University, a top public research institution, offers higher education at its highest proven value. Committed to affordability, the university has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, all while offering degrees from top-10-ranked Colleges of Engineering, Agriculture, and Pharmacy. Purdue is ranked 17th for public universities by U.S. News and World Report and established the nation’s first Department of Computer Science in 1962. Its cybersecurity program is similarly groundbreaking and is currently ranked the No. 2 cyber school. With 24 alumni who became NASA astronauts, including the first and most recent person on the moon, Purdue is called the “Cradle of Astronauts.” Committed to pursuing scientific discoveries and engineered solutions, Purdue has streamlined pathways for faculty and student innovators who have a vision for engaging with the private sector and moving the world forward. Further information is available at: www.purdue.edu.
About the Space Dynamics Laboratory
The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) has been solving the technical challenges faced by the military, science community, and industry for six decades and supports NASA’s vision to reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind. As one of 14 University Affiliated Research Centers, SDL serves as a subject matter expert in its core research areas to the U.S. Government, ensuring that essential engineering and technology capabilities are maintained. SDL is a research laboratory headquartered in North Logan, UT, and has offices in Albuquerque, NM; Bedford, MA; Dayton, OH; Huntsville, AL; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Stafford, VA; and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.sdl.usu.edu.
About Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
The Applied Physics Laboratory, a not-for-profit division of The Johns Hopkins University, meets critical national challenges through the innovative application of science and technology. For more information, visit www.jhuapl.edu.
About The Aerospace Corporation
The Aerospace Corporation is a national nonprofit corporation that operates a federally funded research and development center and has approximately 4,000 employees. With major locations in El Segundo, CA; Albuquerque, NM; Colorado Springs, CO; and the Washington, DC region, Aerospace addresses complex problems across the space enterprise and other areas of national significance through agility, innovation, and objective technical leadership. For more information, visit www.aerospace.org. Follow us on Twitter: @AerospaceCorp.
About University of Colorado Colorado Springs
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) offers 53 bachelor’s, 24 master’s and eight doctoral degree programs. UCCS enrolls more than 12,000 students on campus. For more information, visit www.uccs.edu.
About the National Cybersecurity Center
The National Cybersecurity Center (NCC) is recognized as a leader in cybersecurity and serves as the operational arm of the Space ISAC. Locating the Space ISAC at the NCC allows Space ISAC members to have access to Colorado’s space and cybersecurity ecosystems within the commercial and defense sectors and to the talents of the premier higher education institutions developing cybersecurity engineers. Together, NCC and the Space ISAC serve cyber influencers from the commercial sector, academia, government, and military and empower people to secure commercial, international, and military space communications from attacks on our global space assets. They are jointly building a research and development capability, cybersecurity training curriculum, and an analysis portal. With the addition of the Space ISAC, NCC is offering training on secure GPS and hosts a dialogue on the importance of international and commercial satellites on military communication at the annual Cyber Symposium. Visit www.cyber-center.org for more information.
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