When most people think of cybersecurity, their minds tend to imagine a hacked iPhone, email or even company servers. However, as those with information security training know, there is an new area of cybersecurity that is literally taking off.
Think about this: How does all the data that populates mobile technology, email services, credit cards and even healthcare records circulate? If you answered deep sea cables, you would be partially right. Yet, what we are getting at is space.
Is space the new frontier for those with information security training?
Growing satellite market presents new risks
Satellites, and all the equipment and expertise that goes into launching one, is huge growth industry. In 30 years, it has grown from only a few superpowers to an environment where private entities now have the ability to launch private payloads.
Figures from the Satellite Industry Association show that in 2014 global revenues totaled over US$200 billion, with satellite services comprising US$122.9 billion and ground equipment another US$58.3 billion. The industry has grown 4 per cent in 2014 and is expected to expand further in the near future.
There are thousands of satellites orbiting the earth and many more are being launched every year. This has been driven by the increasing use of technology to reduce the size of launch packages, which cost less and are significantly lighter – making it easier to launch.
Alongside the changes in size and cost, the purpose of satellites has also changed. Today, the focus is on maintaining a network of information flows and as such, there is a huge volume of both up and down links as well as other bands.
This combination has forced cybersecurity expertise to push reset on their approaches to data security. New forms of data are flowing in and out of modern communications satellite, for example voice and video. There are rivers of information flowing from every satellite, ground station and everything in between.

Identifying weak points in security protocols
Satellites have become a major target for groups of hackers and governments taking part in cyber war efforts. As such, organisations are looking to people with the right expertise, such as those that have attended information security training courses, to find new ways to overcome these obstacles.
One example of a weak point is people on the ground and the growing trend of BYOD (or bring your own device). In many cases, hackers are using the social engineering approach to hacking in an effort to use psychology against them. They are creating matrixes out of people's pictures, social media posts and location tags, which can give hackers an idea about organisational patterns and security procedures.
Another pain point for cybersecurity in relation to satellites is the overly outdated procedures, processes and protocols in place that aim to protect sensitive information. In today's world, data is being transferred at an incredible rate and is being sourced and implemented in ways that were unbelievable even a decade ago. These outdated protocols are not up to the task of managing this data flow and identifying where and when a hack could take place.
As a result of this, companies and public entities are looking for personnel who can rewrite the security scripts that manage satellites to ensure data is secure and safe. This means revising strategic plans, and identifying touch points that are vulnerable to both internal and external forces.
However, to capitalise on these employment opportunities, it is essential to have the right training and obtain the necessary knowledge needed to fill these roles. One way to achieve this is through an experienced and professional training provider. At ALC Training, we have a number of training courses that can make sure you have the skills to get the job done.
Make sure you contact ALC Training today to find out more.