In the upcoming years, a significant increase in the number of satellites is expected as novel mega-constellations take their position in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Including initiatives like Starlink and OneWeb, projections suggest the deployment of over 100,000 satellites in the next several years. They have increasingly become integral components of both consumer-oriented and critical infrastructures.
These critical functions, ranging from global navigation and positioning systems to providing phone connections and imaging data, play an ever more crucial role in modern society. The precarious place of satellite systems in the communication and navigation infrastructure naturally makes them attractive targets for cyber attacks. This was evidenced in a major attack on the ViaSat network during the initial days of the war in Ukraine and ongoing disruptions of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) around the world.
The principal vulnerability of satellite systems has been public knowledge since the mid-2000s. Despite early warnings, the security of both legacy and novel deployments remains severely lacking. Recent publications have renewed interest and highlighted the persistence of security issues, now on a much larger scale.
SpaceSec aims to bring together academic researchers, industry professionals, and government representatives to contribute to new theories, technologies, and systems for security/privacy challenges in space and on the ground.
Important Dates
| Paper Submission Deadline | |
| Notification of Acceptance | 16 January 2025 (AoE) |
| Workshop Date | 24 February 2025 (Pacific Standard Time) |
| Camera Ready Submission | 22 March 2025 (AoE) |
Keynote Talk
Title: The NASA's core Flight System (cFS) 2.0 and Beyond
Speaker: Dr. Ashok Prajapati
Dr. Ashok Prajapati is an accomplished technology leader and researcher with more than 20 years of experience across diverse domains. With a solid foundation as an Engineer, Researcher, and People Leader, he serves as the cFS Program Manager and Deputy Software Tech Fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), where he contributes to groundbreaking missions to Mars, the Moon, and beyond. Prior to this, Ashok was an Engineering Manager at General Dynamics Land Systems.
In addition to his professional achievements, Ashok is a dedicated volunteer with over 15 years of service to IEEE. He has held several leadership roles, including Senior Member, Vice-Chair and Director with IEEE CS Southeastern Michigan, and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Forensic Software for more than five years. He is also actively engaged with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) as a member of the Software Technical Committee (SWTC). Ashok holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in computer engineering, as well as a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializing in AI/ML. His research interests encompass Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotics, Operating Systems, Computer Networking, Cyber Security, and Autonomous Driving, among others.
Call for Papers
The scope of SpaceSec includes systems directly or indirectly related to or dependent on space and satellite systems, including the communication links (satellite-ground, satellite-satellite), the ground segment, and the space segment. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Space Systems Security
- Small Satellite and CubeSat Security
- Ground/User Segment Attacks and Vulnerabilities
- Legacy Space System Security Analysis
- Space System Security Testbeds
- Measurement Infrastructure and Data Collection of Space Mission Security Data
- Security of Launch Vehicles and Launch Processes
- GNSS Attack and Defense Mechanisms
- Security of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Technologies
- Data- and ML-driven Security of Space Missions
- Secure Satellite Software/Hardware Development
- Reverse Engineering and Tampering of Space and Ground Segments
- Side-Channels and Fault Attacks on Space- or User Segment Devices
- In-Orbit Intrusion Detection
Communications Security
- Satellite Link Jamming and Spoofing
- Securing and Attacking Inter-Satellite Links
- Optical Satellite Communication Security
- (Post-quantum) Cryptography for Space Communications
- LEO Constellation Routing Security
- Secure Optimized Satellite Communication Protocols (e.g., PEPs, QUIC)
- Key Management for (LEO) Constellations and Space Systems
Privacy and Usability
- Localization and Anonymity in Satellite Networks
- Privacy Issues in Satellite Communication
- Ethical Aspects of Satellite Security
- Usability of Existing Space Software and Standards
Space Security Strategies
- Economics of Space Security
- Game Theory-based Security Analysis Approaches
- Red Teaming and Blue Teaming in Space
- Supply Chain Security for Space Mission Components
- Forensics in Space Security Incidents
Submission Guidelines
All papers must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference. The following paper types are welcome:
Short Paper: Maximum 4 pages. Short papers should provide enough context for the reader to understand the contribution. Preliminary work is encouraged but not required.
Long Paper: Maximum 8 pages. Traditional research papers.
Submissions should follow the double-column NDSS format. Page limits exclude the bibliography and appendices, which can be up to 2 pages for long papers and 1 page for short papers.
We invite submissions in the following categories:
- Research Paper: A novel contribution in line with the topics of interest.
- Position Paper: New or provocative ideas of interest to the satellite and space communities.
- Experience Paper: Lessons learned from experiments or deployments.
- Preliminary Work Paper: Early results from interesting and new ideas.
- Extended Work Paper: Unpublished aspects of previously published work.
Anonymization and the Review Process: The review process is double-blind. All submissions should be anonymized.
Publication: SpaceSec25 proceedings will be published post-conference with the NDSS 2025.
Further Notes: At least one author of each accepted paper must register for the workshop and present the paper. Simultaneous submission of the same work to multiple venues, submission of previously published work, and plagiarism are prohibited.
Organization
TPC and General Co-Chairs
Samuel Jero, MIT Lincoln Laboratory (US), samuel.jero@ll.mit.edu
Aanjhan Ranganathan, Northeastern University (US), aanjhan.ranganathan@northeastern.edu
Web Chair
Simon Birnbach, University of Oxford (UK), simon.birnbach@cs.ox.ac.uk
Publicity Chair
Jessie Hamill-Stewart, University of Bath and University of Bristol (UK), jessie.hamill-stewart@bristol.ac.uk
Steering Committee
- Vincent Lenders, Cyber-Defence Campus, armasuisse (CH)
- Ivan Martinovic, University of Oxford (UK)
- Christina Pöpper, NYU Abu Dhabi (UAE)
- Knut Eckstein, European Space Agency (Europe)
- James Pavur, Defense Digital Service, Department of Defense (USA)
- Martin Strohmeier, Cyber-Defence Campus, armasuisse (CH)
- Johannes Willbold, Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
Program Committee
- Ali Abbasi, CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
- Antonios Atlasis, European Space Agency
- Christoph Bader, Airbus Defence & Space GmbH
- Simon Birnbach, University of Oxford
- Yueqi Chen, University of Colorado Boulder
- Bruce DeBruhl, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- Knut Eckstein, European Space Agency
- Gregory Falco, Cornell University
- Daniel Fischer, European Space Agency
- Giacomo Giuliari, Mysten Labs
- Oana Graur, European Space Agency
- Stephen Herwig, William & Mary
- Sebastian Köhler, University of Oxford
- Vincent Lenders, Cyber-Defence Campus, armasuisse Science & Technology
- Ulf Lindqvist, SRI
- Mark Manulis, Universität der Bundeswehr München
- Ivan Martinovic, University of Oxford
- Christina Pöpper, NYU Abu Dhabi
- Harshad Sathaye, ETH Zürich
- Stephen Schwab, USC Information Sciences Institute
- Mridula Singh, CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
- Martin Strohmeier, Cyber-Defence Campus, armasuisse Science & Technology
- Nils Ole Tippenhauer, CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
- Howard Weiss, Parsons, Inc.
- Verena Zimmermann, ETH Zürich