Space ISAC Operational Watch Center Enters Phase II Planning to Keep Pace with Proliferating Threats to Space Systems
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, September 25, 2024 — Funded through a Grant with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Space ISAC Operational Watch Center Enters Phase II Planning to Keep Pace with Proliferating Threats to Space Systems. The Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC) Watch Center will build a Cyber Space Data Fusion Cell, a technology buildout adding new datasets, AI/ML and other fusion tools to the Space ISAC Watch Center.
Our members use the Watch Center to monitor threats, attacks and incidents of compromise against commercial and international global space systems impacting critical infrastructure. This project allows analysts to track the adversary through ground and space using data provided by commercial and government for multi-phenomenology analysis and alerts. We’ll build specialized tools and privacy enhancing technology to share threat intelligence. The Watch Center is operational and shovel ready to deploy data fusion tools. The Space ISAC Watch Center & Cyber Space Data Fusion Cell project is a crucial milestone for the global space industry to address the growing threats and vulnerabilities faced by this sector, which now serves billions of people worldwide.
Space ISAC opened the Watch Center in Q1 2023 and analysts are already being assigned from Founding and Platinum Member companies and USG to sit on the floor or remotely assigned. We have recently toured or met with great interest the following agencies : NSA, US Space Command, NOAA, Italian Space Agency, French Space Agency, Dept of Homeland Security, UK Space Command, Irish National Cyber Security Centre, Australia Space Agency, Australia Dept of Home Affairs, Australia Space Command, Australia Signals Directorate, Luxembourg Space Agency, Taiwan Space Agency, Israel Space Agency, Dept of Commerce Office of Space Commerce, NASA, FAA, and frequently meet with State Department.
Currently assigned to work the Watch Floor are analysts from US Space Command and there are liaisons from the Intelligence Community, FBI, DHS CISA, US Space Force and others working with the Watch Center. Our member companies provide analysts or fellows from Deloitte, Peraton, The Aerospace Corporation, Lockheed Martin, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Alethia Software and Purdue University.
Space ISAC’s Executive Director, Erin Miller said, “This grant will enable Space ISAC to progress to Phase II which will introduce a variety of new capabilities to the Space ISAC, involving the following topics: truth data for space weather; multi orbit interference and on orbit attacks; supply chain risk management and nation state actors; ground infrastructure security; anonymized machine to machine threat sharing for space; and cyber threat analysis as a service.”
Scott Giles, Account Executive – DoD Space at Microsoft said, “Microsoft is proud to continue our Founding Membership with Space ISAC to build Watch Center Phase 2 information sharing capabilities using Microsoft Azure Services and AI/ML data science tools. This scalable solution will propel Space ISAC into the next phase with accessible infrastructure to meet the needs of threat and intelligence sharing for the global space community.”
Background
Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) is a 501(c)(6) organization that serves as the all-threats security information source for the public and private space sector. Founded in 2019, Space ISAC became an official member of the National Council of ISACs in 2020. The Space ISAC Watch Center achieved initial operational capability in March 2023.
Space ISAC is located at the Kevin W O’Neil Cybersecurity Research and Education Building at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. The Space ISAC serves 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. After opening the Watch Center in 2023, member services include support for response, mitigation, and resilience initiatives, while breaking down communication silos of public-private information sharing.
Space ISAC founding members include: Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: KTOS), Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE: BAH), MITRE, SES, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC), Purdue University, the Space Dynamics Laboratory, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, The Aerospace Corporation, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Microsoft, L3Harris, Deloitte and Capella Space.
Space ISAC establishes partnerships with government agencies for facilitating collaboration to protect the security of the global space industry. Space ISAC government partners include: Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Command, US Space Force, Department of State, Federal Bureau-Investigation, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan Ministry of the Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA), Israel Space Agency, the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance, the Department of Commerce, the National Cyber Director, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), IC Commercial Space Council, and National Space Council.
###
