The global satellite industry grew 7% in 2. Satellite Industry Association in its most recent report issued in June 2.
It has been estimated that there are over 1,0. Following are the data on operational satellites by function: Function %Percentage. Commercial Communications 3. Government Communications.
Remote 8% Sensing. Space Science. 9 %R& D9%Military Surveillance 1. Navigation. 7%Meteorology. These figures are impressive, especially if it is considered the global economic crisis that has decimated other industry sectors. More than 5. 0 countries operate at least one satellite. Figure 1 – Global Satellite Industry Revenue – SIAThe overall satellite industry is characterized by constant growth.
The data related to orders for the next months confirm the sector’s excellent status. The industry is attracting huge investments, mainly from government entities.
The quantity of information daily managed by these architectures is impressive, and the capability to protect them from attacks must be improved. The figures proposed give us an idea of the business behind the satellite industry and security issues are among primary concerns for the sector. Satellites play a significant role in communication, early warning systems, global broadcasting, meteorology, navigation, reconnaissance, remote sensing, and surveillance. Satellite services cover practically every sector, from mobile cellular communication to telemedicine, so any interference with them could have a serious effect. Satellites are a strategic asset for any country and are considered as “critical infrastructure,” therefore they are considerable as privileged targets for a possible cyber attack. About Principal Threats.
In a recent presentation titled “Satellite hacking,” a popular IT security expert listed the following top 1. Tracking – tracking over web data and software. Listening – listening with the right equipment, frequencies, and locations. Interacting – protocols and authentication used, radio transmissions need official license! Using – take over a bird or a TT& C . The hackers use a directed antenna to produce the interference, usually a specifically crafted signal having enough power to override the original transmitted signal. Satellite jamming is a hacking method often used to interfere with communication for distribution of media for censorship purpose.
The two forms of satellite jamming are “orbital” and “terrestrial”: In orbital jamming, the attacker sends a beam of contradictory signals directly toward a satellite via a rogue uplink station. The jamming signals are mixed with the legitimate signals, thus interfering with them. The jamming signals are able to override the legitimate transmission, blocking its transmission to the recipient. Figure 2 – Orbital jamming. In terrestrial jamming, the attacker transmits rogue frequencies in the direction of terrestrial targets (ground satellite dishes). Rather than targeting the satellite itself, as is the case in orbital jamming, terrestrial jamming involves transmitting rogue frequencies in the direction of local consumer- level satellite dishes.
The jamming frequencies are limited to a specific area and are able to interfere only with the frequency emanating from the satellite in a specific location. Small, portable terrestrial jammers are easy to purchase and use; they typically have a range of 3- 5 kilometers in urban areas, while in rural areas their range can increase to up to 2. Figure 3 – Terrestrial jamming. The jamming attack could be directed against satellite receiving an uplink or against a ground station or user terminal receiving a downlink; the flooding of an uplink is considered the most damaging attack because it is able to saturate/destroy all possible recipients. Otherwise, jamming attacks against a terrestrial device could cause minor damages by impacting a limited portion of the satellite architecture, since downlink jamming is a reversible attack and it affects only users within line of sight of the jammer.
Uplink jamming has relatively less impact because it can interfere with the transmission of a satellite over a broad area but only for a temporary period and it does not permanently harm the target system. The uplink jamming of the control link can prevent a satellite from receiving commands from the ground; it can also target user- transmitted data, thus disturbing the recipients. An uplink jammer must have at least the same power of the signal it is attempting to block and, during the attack, it must be located within the footprint of the satellite antenna it is targeting. Figure 4 – Satellite Jamming. The most concerning aspect of jamming attacks is that they can be undertaken using off- the- shelf technology and the detection and attribution of intermittent jamming can be difficult. In 2. 00. 6 testimony before the House Armed Services Committee Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Lieutenant General Robert Kehler highlighted that the U.
S. The analysis of commercial SATCOM links over a 1. Operation Iraqi Freedom found 5. SATCOM; five of those attacks were surely operated by hostile jamming sources.“All five suspected cases of jamming occurred in the uplink signal, originated in the Southwest Asia region, and involved a transmitter using a continuous wave carrier signal. The use of a continuous wave carrier signal is particularly suspicious because it is unlikely to be an accidental transmission by a friendly user. Moreover, the continuous wave carrier signals used in these instances varied their center frequency within a band—what is known as a .
At least six different jamming stations were discovered and destroyed. French commercial satellite fleet operator Eutelsat Communications has recently announced the future deployment of an experimental cutting- edge TV channel interference mitigation function for the first time on its upcoming EUTELSAT 8 West B satellite. The satellite is scheduled for launch in 2. Middle East and North Africa, the area where the major number deliberate jamming attacks have been observed.
The anti- jamming function will further raise the bar of signal security by increasing control over uplink frequencies to the satellite.“This function involves embarking new- generation frequency converters behind the satellites Receive antennas .