Cybersecurity Expert Targets Satellite Safety

08.16.2024

Students build a CubeSat, a small satellite, at the Satellite Workshop at UT Dallas. From left: Nibedita Swain, telecommunications engineering doctoral student; Iniyan Joseph, computer science junior; and Colin Wong, computer science sophomore.

The number of satellites circling Earth has increased 361% over the past five years, with nearly 10,000 active satellites in orbit, according to the Satellite Industry Association.

A predominance of these satellites provide internet access and are used in scientific research and weather monitoring, among other applications.

More satellites, however, also means more potential for cyberattacks, said Dr. Kangkook Jee, assistant professor of computer science in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas.

“This is a developing field that combines cybersecurity and space,” said Jee, who studies safety and security issues in spacecraft in low Earth orbit. “It is really important to safeguard our assets in space.”

Dr. Kangkook Jee, assistant professor of computer science at UT Dallas, leads a session at the workshop about small satellite communication, which relies on radio waves.

Cyberattacks on satellites could disrupt communications, corrupt sensor systems, inject malicious code and disrupt space operations. For example, a cyberattack disrupted communications in Ukraine at the onset of Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022.

The rapid increase in the number of satellites in orbit has created a demand for experts trained to deal with cybersecurity risks and safety in space. Jee and two other faculty members received a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation in 2023 to develop training materials for researchers and students, including a virtual test bed environment for space cyberinfrastructure – the underlying technology that facilitates satellite communication.

Co-principal investigators include Dr. Ovidiu Daescu, professor and department head of computer science and Jonsson School Chair; and Dr. Manuel Quevedo-Lopez, professor and department head of materials science and engineering and Texas Instruments Distinguished University Chair in Nanoelectronics.

Seventeen UT Dallas students and two students visiting from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology attended the Satellite Workshop, which drew 110 applicants.

This summer the researchers offered a three-day Satellite Workshop, supported by the grant, to teach 17 UT Dallas students and two students visiting from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology about satellite cybersecurity concerns and the challenges of ensuring that satellites can perform in harsh conditions, such as microgravity, radiation and extreme temperatures. The training included a lab exercise that simulated a war-game scenario in which different satellites compete to interfere with communication and/or steal data from other satellites. Students also built CubeSats, small 4-inch square satellites about the size of a Rubik’s Cube.

Jee, who recruited two students from the workshop to work in his lab, said he plans to organize additional opportunities to increase student interest in satellite technology.

“Engineers and computer scientists who work with satellite technology are in high demand,” Jee said. “This is a very good career area to go into because our nation needs these resources. And to put it simply: It is space; it is cool.”

–Kim Horner