Bolstering the security of commercial space applications

On 24 and 25 April in Paris, GMV participated in CYSAT, a European event focusing on cybersecurity for commercial space applications, which brought together a selection of speakers and offered an invaluable opportunity for networking and knowledge sharing. 

Indeed, CYSAT’s goal is to bring together leading experts in space security and information technology to build a European ecosystem that can address the current and future challenges facing Europe’s space industry. GMV set up a stand to showcase its space products and services, and its representatives included Julio Vivero, Business Partner INT for GMV’s Secure e-Solutions, and Daniel López Montero, Data Scientist in GMV’s Artificial Intelligence and Big Data department, who participated in the “Space SOCs: Common Mistakes, Challenges and Tips” presentation.

Space operations centers around the world develop, maintain, and use complex systems on a daily basis to support spacecraft operations for various missions. These systems make up the ground segment and provide end users with a range of features, which could be jeopardized by incomplete security coverage. During his presentation, Montero explained how machine learning is expected to be used in optimizing these cybersecurity processes, which may lead to greater automation. As part of this effort, GMV is using algorithms based on machine learning to train a pentesting agent using synthetic and simulated environments.

CYSAT was also the venue for the first meeting of the EU Space Information Sharing Centre (EU Space ISAC) initiative, which involves the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), European Commission (EC), industry, public agencies, and academia. GMV is one of the founding members of this new initiative, which aims to strengthen security and improve the overall resilience of the EU space sector in order to prevent, address, and mitigate challenges having to do with security, including cybersecurity. The first meeting of the board, held on 24 April, was co-chaired by the European Commission and EUSPA, and was attended by the twelve founding members, representing both large industrial groups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from throughout the European Union, including GMV.