Committee: UNOOSA

Topic: Protecting against space-based cyber espionage

Country: United States of America
Delegate: Shreeyash Pilani
School: Dubai Gem Private School

The space race is commonly known as the rivalry that took place during the 20th century between the
two adversaries of the cold war, the United States and the Soviet Union. It was a battle to achieve supremacy in
spaceflight capability. A space race, however, simply refers to the competition between two or more countries
to achieve dominance in advancement of space technology. Cyber espionage is a form of spying by
unauthorized users involving the leaking of confidential information typically by the means of hacking, with the
most common purposes being monetary/economic gain, and political reasons. Cyber security refers to the
practice of defending or safeguarding the data and cyber environment of an institution. Data breaches and
attacks due to space-based cyber espionage have been prevalent in recent years with the United States of
America having been a victim of the same. An alarming figure of approximate of 15 cyber intrusions during
2005-2013 have been reported by NASA.
One of the most noteworthy incidents of this was the interference of U.S. satellites roughly 4 times in
2007 and 2008. The satellites interfered with were reportedly two American satellites which were used by
NASA and the US Geological Survey to monitor climate and geography. The interference had traces linked to
Norway and China. Although no accusations were made by the United States, China was considered as the
main suspect for the cause. However, some sources suggested that the events hadn’t actually traced to China,
but some of the “techniques appeared consistent with authoritative Chinese military writings.” Pinpointing the
source of a cyber attack can be extremely challenging. Hackers and Espionage agents often mask their tracks by
routing intrusions through servers and computers across different continents that may make attacks appear from
third countries, this could possibly also lead to false allegations.
NASA, the USA’s space agency, has made great leaps forward in technological advancements of space
technology. The most recently example of this is the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), wherein NASA
pioneered new technologies to problems that have not even been encountered yet. It featured highly
technologically advanced components such as a 5-layer sunshield made of the high-performance plastic,
Kapton, with layers as slim as 0.025 millimetres. Other key projects that have stretched the boundaries of space
exploration include the recently released Perseverance Rover sent to Mars. This was sent in continuation the
United States’ ongoing research on Mars following the 4 previous rovers sent by the nation.
NASA’s OCIO Cybersecurity & Privacy Division (CPSD) is the division that manages the
cybersecurity program to correct any known vulnerabilities and support NASA’s information systems by
providing cost-effective cybersecurity services. Cybersecurity services will also be initiated to deliver much
better security across the agency. These enterprises are also intended for improvement of the NASA agency’s
information and cybersecurity posture.
The delegate urges the United Nations to establish a new set of rules, or even possibly a treaty
concerning the peaceful and uninterrupted use of satellites for the purposes of research and development in
outer space. The rules should primarily focus on mandating the strengthening of security systems on any and all
objects sent to space. No satellite must be left vulnerable at any given moment. Frequent software, security, and
firmware updates must be issued. These updates must be released on all satellites currently in orbit, as well as
those released in the future. Leaving satellites that carry such important and confidential information
vulnerable, poses a huge risk not only to nations and their security, but even directly to the people of the
nations’ themselves.
Bibliography:
https://www.reuters.com/article/china-usa-satellite-idUSN1E79R1LK20111028

https://www.nasa.gov/content/cybersecurity-privacy-division