Intelligence Agencies Warn Foreign Spies Are Targeting U.S. Space Companies

Chinese language and Russian intelligence businesses are focusing on American non-public area firms, making an attempt to steal crucial applied sciences and making ready cyberattacks geared toward degrading U.S. satellite tv for pc capabilities throughout a battle or emergency, in line with a brand new warning by American intelligence businesses.

The Nationwide Counterintelligence and Safety Heart, the F.B.I. and the Air Pressure issued a brand new advisory to American firms Friday morning. The broad warning to trade stated that overseas intelligence providers may very well be focusing on area companies, their staff and the contractors that serve these firms.

Area firms’ knowledge and mental property may very well be in danger from makes an attempt to interrupt into laptop networks, moles positioned inside firms and overseas infiltration of the availability chain, officers stated.

“International intelligence entities acknowledge the significance of the industrial area trade to the U.S. financial system and nationwide safety, together with the rising dependence of crucial infrastructure on space-based property,” the Counterintelligence Heart warning stated. “They see U.S. space-related innovation and property as potential threats in addition to helpful alternatives to accumulate very important applied sciences and experience.”

Whereas the US nonetheless builds and launches multimillion greenback reconnaissance and communications satellite tv for pc, much of American innovation in space is being done by commercial companies, together with those who conduct launches and others that construct and discipline satellites.

Intelligence businesses are more and more depending on the private-sector area trade, and U.S. officers are frightened in regards to the curiosity Chinese language and Russian spy providers have proven in these firms, based mostly on latest F.B.I. investigations and intelligence assortment on overseas intelligence plans. American officers consider improvements by SpaceX, Blue Origin and different non-public firms have given the US an enormous benefit in area, one that’s envied by overseas adversaries.

Safety measures range tremendously from firm to firm, and a few U.S. officers consider the area trade must tighten protections towards makes an attempt by Chinese language and Russian intelligence businesses to infiltrate them.

Since 2017, the Justice Division has charged Chinese language, Russian and Iranian nationals in numerous schemes to steal space-related know-how. Final October, 5 Russian nationals had been accused in an indictment of making an attempt to illicitly purchase “semiconductors and microprocessors utilized in satellites, missiles, and different space-based navy functions” from American firms. In 2019, a Chinese language nationwide was sentenced to federal jail for making an attempt to accumulate a radiation-hardened energy amplifier utilized in area functions.

And a few firms have disclosed infiltration makes an attempt. In 2020, United Launch Alliance, a three way partnership of Boeing and Lockheed Martin which places many nationwide safety satellites into orbit, advised a Chinese language agency had tried to infiltrate its provide chain. The provider didn’t reach extracting crucial intelligence.

American officers additionally consider rendering ineffective space-based communications and imaging satellites is more likely to be the opening transfer of any future battle. As Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February final 12 months, hackers linked to the Russian authorities conducted a cyberattack against Viasat, a U.S.-based communications agency, in an try and disrupt Ukraine’s capability to command its troops.

Because the struggle has gone on, Russians have targeted on jamming satellites. SpaceX’s low-earth orbit satellite tv for pc community Starlink has also proved critical to Ukraine’s war effort.

The warning issued Friday advises firms to trace anomalous incidents on their laptop networks to search for potential breaches, develop protocols to establish potential overseas brokers contained in the enterprise, conduct due diligence on potential traders and prioritize the safety of an important mental properties.