- DHS S&T is backing research to defend space systems from cyberattacks
- The work has produced two additions to The Aerospace Corporation’s SPARTA framework
- DHS pointed to a 2022 attack on a commercial satellite network as proof that space-based strikes can disrupt ground infrastructure
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate is supporting research to harden space systems against cyberattacks, citing the growing dependence of U.S. critical infrastructure on satellites and the networks that control them.
S&T said Wednesday it helped publish two resources through The Aerospace Corporation’s Space Attack Research and Tactic Analysis, or SPARTA, framework, a set of behavioral threat indicators released in April 2025 and a countermeasure prioritization methodology issued in March, and noted that an open-source reference implementation of threat detectors will follow in the coming months.
S&T’s space cybersecurity push reflects DHS’ broader investment in advanced technology and cyber defense — priorities backed by a FY26 budget increase of 65 percent. To learn how industry can support these strategic priorities, register now for the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 12. The event will convene DHS decision-makers for keynotes, panel discussions and industry-led Q&A sessions.
Ernest Wong, the directorate’s technical lead on the effort, said the resources mark a first step toward lowering barriers so space systems can withstand current and emerging cyberthreats.
Why Is DHS Focused on Space Systems?
The directorate traced the urgency to a 2022 cyberattack — the strike on a commercial satellite communications network at the outset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which showed how an assault on space assets can ripple into terrestrial infrastructure. The research supports the civil cybersecurity and infrastructure resilience missions of DHS and its Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
What Is SPARTA?
SPARTA, maintained by The Aerospace Corporation, is an unclassified matrix cataloging the tactics, techniques and procedures adversaries could use to compromise spacecraft. Modeled on the matrix approach that has become standard in terrestrial cybersecurity, it was created to break down the information-sharing barriers that have fragmented space-specific cyberthreat knowledge.
What Do the New SPARTA Resources Deliver?
The Indicators of Behavior, funded by S&T and introduced in SPARTA version 3.0, give spacecraft developers a way to spot attacks that signature-based detection might miss. Because spacecraft are deterministic systems with limited historical incident data, indicators flag behavioral anomalies, such as irregular memory activity and suspicious traffic on communication links, that may signal compromise.
Organized into 10 categories spanning command execution, cryptography, communications, navigation signals, memory, software updates, sensors and data integrity, the indicators are written in the Structured Threat Information Expression format so developers can convert them directly into automated detection rules for onboard intrusion detection systems.
The countermeasure prioritization, added in SPARTA version 3.2, helps programs decide which defenses to implement first. Each countermeasure receives a score combining how effectively it blocks high-risk adversary techniques; how practical it is to deploy given spacecraft size, weight, power and certification constraints; and its lifecycle cost. The results sort defenses into three tiers, from foundational measures suited to nearly every mission — such as authentication enforcement and software bills of materials — to advanced protections reserved for high-value assets. SPARTA’s defenses were mapped to Germany’s BSI TR-03184 space security guideline and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0, confirming the framework’s alignment with international and federal standards.
S&T encouraged space industry professionals to review the framework and engage the directorate or the Aerospace Corporation on collaboration opportunities.
