AwaitingLaunch_1397728623369

Four, the “Internet security company McAfee stated in their 2007 annual
report that approximately 120 countries have been developing ways to use
the Internet as a weapon and the targets are financial markets, government
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computer systems and utilities.” To the above-mentioned targets, one could
add space systems. Without transparency and confidence building measures
to create mutual understanding and trust between all actors and states
involved in developing cyber and space systems, regional and global security
could deteriorate. Therefore, a normative framework regulating cyber space
and outer space activities is a must.
A Code of Conduct for Cyber and Space Security?
Firstly, there is no treaty, no bilateral, multilateral law or regulation applicable
to cyber/space systems that could lead to treaties, bilateral agreements or to
United Nations General Assembly resolutions. “The fundamental framework
is provided by the UN Charter of the United Nations, which aims at
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international peace and security by obliging Member States,” among other
things, “to refrain from forceful measures against the integrity or
independence of states, while at the same time respecting their right to self-
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defence.”
Secondly, with the emergence of new types of threats that are diffused and
difficult to locate by traditional methods and means that we require a new
approach to combine both political and economic-financial instruments to
counter this phenomenon as a whole. We require new methods and
techniques to influence the security context alongside traditional means of
military force, ultimately aiming to amend the domestic and the international
security rules because of vulnerabilities to the critical cyber infrastructure
and defence strategy of every country.
Cyberspace has already proven to be one of the primary drivers of
international economic growth in the 21st century; the cyber domain should
also be seen as a vulnerable domain that should be protected. However, this
can change only if the unregulated cyber world as well as the outer space
environment is brought under a more regulated framework, which could
provide more sustainability and safety in outer and cyber space.
One example of cyber
interference with outer
space activities could
be a cyber attack that
occurs before, during
or after a launch of a
satellite, using
botnets. Guidance
systems could be
attacked (through
jamming and
spoofing) within that
country or region,
conducted by anyone
ranging from
freelance hackers to
terrorists to statesponsored
organisations.
Cyber Threats to Space Systems | www.orfonline.org 103