Chinese and Russian intelligence agencies are targeting private American space companies, attempting to steal critical technologies and preparing cyberattacks aimed at degrading US satellite capabilities during a conflict or emergency, according to a new warning by American intelligence agencies.
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the FBI and the Air Force released a new one advising American companies friday morning The industry-wide warning said foreign intelligence services may be targeting space companies, their employees and contractors who serve those companies.
Space companies’ data and intellectual property could be at risk from attempts to break into computer networks, moles placed inside companies and foreign infiltration of the supply chain, officials said. .
“Foreign intelligence entities recognize the importance of the commercial space industry to the US economy and national security, including the growing dependence of critical infrastructure on space-based assets,” the Counterintelligence Center warned . “They see US innovation and space-related assets as potential threats as well as important opportunities to acquire valuable technologies and expertise.”
While the United States still builds and launches multimillion dollar reconnaissance and communications satellites, much of America’s innovation in space is done by commercial companies, including those that conduct launches and others that build and deploy satellites.
Intelligence agencies are increasingly dependent on the private sector space industry, and US officials are concerned about the interest shown by Chinese and Russian spy services in those companies, based on recent investigations of the FBI and intelligence collection on foreign intelligence plans. American officials believe that innovations by SpaceX, Blue Origin and other private companies have given the United States a huge advantage in space, one that foreign adversaries envy.
Security measures vary widely from company to company, and some US officials believe the space industry needs to tighten protections against attempts by Chinese and Russian intelligence agencies to penetrate them.
Since 2017, the Justice Department has charged Chinese, Russian and Iranian nationals with various schemes to steal space-related technology. Last October, five Russian nationals were accused in an indictment of attempting to illegally obtain “semiconductors and microprocessors used in satellites, missiles, and other space-based military applications” from American companies. In 2019, a Chinese national was sentenced to federal prison for trying to obtain a radiation-hardened power amplifier used in space applications.
And some companies have disclosed infiltration attempts. In 2020, United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin that puts many national security satellites into orbit, suggested that a Chinese firm tried to enter its supply chain. The supplier was unsuccessful in obtaining critical intelligence.
American officials also believe that rendering ineffective space-based communications and imaging satellites is likely to be the opening step of any future conflict. As Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February last year, hackers linked to the Russian government launched a cyberattack against Viasat, a US-based communications company, in an attempt to disrupt Ukraine’s ability to command its troops.
As the war continued, the Russians focused on jamming satellites. SpaceX’s low-earth orbit satellite network Starlink has also proven critical to Ukraine’s war effort.
The warning issued Friday advises companies to monitor anomalous incidents on their computer networks to look for potential breaches, develop protocols to identify potential foreign agents within the business, take appropriate due diligence on potential investors and prioritize the protection of the most valuable intellectual property.