CYSEC, a Swiss cybersecurity company, is co-organizing with AP-Swiss, the Ambassador Platform of the European Space Agency’s Applications programme in Switzerland, the first event dedicated to cybersecurity for satellites in Europe. CYSAT ’21 will gather leading players from the European space industry in Davos, Switzerland, to share challenges and solutions related to cyber risks in space.
Space engineers have historically focused on building reliable satellites. With easier access to space and the boom of Newspace startups collecting critical data and delivering valuable services to customers, space assets have become an attractive target for hackers. The numbers are impressive: currently, 5774 satellites are in orbit. More than 1’000 small ones will be launched annually in the next decade.
Now is the time to build a European ecosystem able to respond to the current and future challenges of securing space assets, data, and services to remain competitive among the leading space nations and preserve European sovereignty in space.
Switzerland has proven to be one of the most innovative countries globally and has made cybersecurity a national priority. Based at the EPFL Innovation Park, and strength of its experience and expertise in the field, CYSEC wants to offer the European space community an opportunity to learn, share and connect on this critical topic by bringing 50 selected executives to Davos.
Mathieu Bailly, VP Space at CYSEC and member of the organizing committee commented: “Satellite operators can no longer ignore cyber risks when designing a new satellite or a new constellation. It needs to be integrated from the very start. Today we see a lack of awareness, expertise and European solutions available on the market. The goal of CYSAT is to bring all players and decision-makers together to accelerate the European response. Switzerland is in a perfect position to lead the efforts!”
CYSAT ’21 will occur from March 17-19th, 2021 in the renowned setting of the Davos Congress Center and will be broadcasted online if participation on site is difficult. The event will combine keynotes from ethical hackers and researchers on the risks, technical presentations on best practices and solutions to secure satellite communications, and selected keynotes from industrial leaders sharing their vision towards a European cyber resilience.
CYSAT’21 is co-organized by AP-Swiss, which will help with coordinating the different themes and invited speakers.
José Achache, Director of AP-Swiss and member of the Organizing Committee, commented: “The success of European space missions is closely linked to the cybersecurity tools we will be able to implement to secure the European space assets in the coming years. Bringing together hackers and leaders, CYSAT ’21 will be the perfect opportunity to get up to speed with threats and trends in cybersecurity for space. I am looking forward to a series of remarkable keynotes and interesting discussions.”
