Satellite Networks Worldwide at Risk of Possible Cyberattacks, FBI & CISA Warn

The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are raising the alarm over known "possible threats" to US and international satellite communication (SATCOM) networks that then could spill over to their customers' networks.

SATCOM providers and their network customers should immediately take these mitigation steps, according to the FBI and CISA: harden authentication and enforce least privilege; deploy encryption; patch software and audit system configurations; monitor logs for "suspicious activity"; and solidify incident response and business continuity plans.

"Given the current geopolitical situation, CISA's Shields Up initiative requests that all organizations significantly lower their threshold for reporting and sharing indications of malicious cyber activity. To that end, CISA and FBI will update this joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) as new information becomes available so that SATCOM providers and their customers can take additional mitigation steps pertinent to their environments," the government advisory said.