(Interesting report about a part of the critical infrastructure which is not mentioned very often. WEN)
Key sentence for CIP planner: ...In addition, we are recommending that commercial satellites be identified as a critical infrastructure sector (or as part of an already identified critical infrastructure sector) in the national CIP strategy, to help ensure that these assets are protected from unauthorized access and disruption. ... GAO: Critical Infrastructure Protection: Commercial Satellite Security Should Be More Fully Addressed. GAO-02-781, August 30. http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-02-781 Vulnerabilities: .... Satellites are vulnerable to various threats. Protecting satellite systems against these threats requires attention to (1) the satellite; (2) the satellite control ground stations, which perform tracking and control functions to ensure that satellites remain in the proper orbits and which monitor satellite performance; (3) the communications ground stations, which process the data being sent to and from satellites; and (4) communications links between satellites and ground stations-both those that transmit the tracking and control information and those that transmit the data. Security threats to any part of the system could put government and commercial functions at significant risk. Accordingly, at your request, we reviewed (1) what security techniques are available to protect satellite systems from unauthorized use, disruption, or damage; (2) how federal agencies reduce the risk associated with their use of commercial satellite systems; and (3) what federal critical infrastructure protection (CIP) efforts are being undertaken to address satellite system security through improved government and private-sector cooperation. To accomplish these objectives, we reviewed technical documents, policy, and directives and interviewed pertinent officials from federal agencies and the private sector involved in developing, operating, maintaining, and protecting satellite systems. ... Results: .... Techniques to protect satellite systems from unauthorized use and disruption include the use of robust hardware on satellites, physical security and logical access controls2 at ground stations, and encryption of the signals for tracking and controlling the satellite and of the data being sent to and from satellites. .... Recommendation: Because of the importance of the satellite industry to our nation, we recommend that steps be taken to promote appropriate revisions to existing policy and the development of new policy regarding the security of satellite systems, to ensure that federal agencies appropriately address the use of commercial satellites, including the sensitivity of information, security techniques, and enforcement mechanisms. In addition, we are recommending that commercial satellites be identified as a critical infrastructure sector (or as part of an already identified critical infrastructure sector) in the national CIP strategy, to help ensure that these assets are protected from unauthorized access and disruption. IWS INFOCON Mailing List @ IWS - The Information Warfare Site http://www.iwar.org.uk
