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Space Cybersecurity Foundations

Governance, Risk Management, and Regulatory Frameworks

May 20, 2026, 09:30 AM

Paris 

Workshop Synopsis:

The Indiana University Space Cybersecurity Compliance Digital Badge Program provides participants with a practical and strategic understanding of the governance landscape and how governance frameworks and regulatory requirements shape cybersecurity practices in the space sector.

The program offers a structured overview of the growing ecosystem of regulatory instruments and industry standards (nearly thirty frameworks in total), helping participants understand regulatory and market expectations and how organizations can design effective compliance strategies in an increasingly complex environment.

Building on this foundation, the program explores how organizations translate regulatory requirements and industry standards into practical compliance strategies, especially in multi-jurisdictional contexts and collaborations with European partners and NASA. Participants will learn how to select relevant standards, develop internal cybersecurity policies, manage compliance across complex supply chains, and address liability and risk allocation. The role of insurance and risk-transfer mechanisms is also covered.

Upon completion, participants will have a clear understanding of the governance landscape shaping space cybersecurity and will be able to navigate compliance requirements, identify relevant standards, and design effective cybersecurity and risk management strategies.

Designed for professionals at the intersection of space, cybersecurity, and compliance, this program equips participants with the tools to interpret and implement space cybersecurity compliance frameworks within their organizations. 

Participants who successfully complete the program and pass the end-of-course quiz will receive the Indiana University Space Cybersecurity Compliance Digital Badge.

Positioning Note: The Space Cybersecurity Compliance digital badge program is a specialized program focused on the governance, compliance, and organizational implementation dimensions of space cybersecurity. The program complements, but is not a substitute, for the full Indiana University Space Cybersecurity digital badge program which covers also the technical aspects of space cybersecurity including secure-by-design, threat identification, verification & validation, mitigation strategies, mission assurance and business continuity, and SOC.

Criteria for Earning the Badge:

To earn the Space Cybersecurity Foundations digital badge, participants must complete the full three hours of live, in-person or synchronous instruction and
successfully complete a knowledge assessment with a minimum score of 80%.

Instructors:

Program Director: Prof. Eytan Tepper

Faculty: Prof. Scott Shackelford, Prof. Eytan Tepper, William Ferguson

 

Scott J. Shackelford 

Scott J. Shackelford, PhD, JD, Professor Scott J. Shackelford is Associate Vice President and Vice Chancellor for Research at Indiana University Bloomington and the Provost Professor of Business Law and Ethics at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Ostrom Workshop and the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research and as Director of the Master’s (M.S.) in Cybersecurity Risk Management. He is also an Affiliated Scholar at both the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Stanford’s Center for Internet and Society. Professor Shackelford has written more than 100 articles, book chapters, essays, and op-eds for diverse publications. Similarly, Professor Shackelford’s research has been covered by an array of outlets, including Politico, NPR, CNN, Forbes, Time, the Washington Post, and the LA Times. He is the author of Forks in the 

Digital Road: Key Decisions in the History of the Internet (Oxford University Press, 2024), The Internet of Things: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press, 2020), Governing New Frontiers in the Information Age: Toward Cyber Peace (Cambridge University Press, 2020), and Managing Cyber Attacks in International Law, Business, and Relations: In Search of Cyber Peace (Cambridge University Press, 2014). He is also the lead editor of the first volume dedicated to cyber peace entitled Cyber Peace: Charting a Path Toward a Sustainable, Stable, and Secure Cyberspace (Cambridge University Press, 2022). Both Professor Shackelford’s academic work and teaching have been recognized with numerous awards, including a Harvard University Research Fellowship, a Stanford University Hoover Institution National Fellowship, a Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study Distinguished Fellowship, the 2014 Indiana University Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, the 2015 Elinor Ostrom Award, and the 2022 Poets & Quants Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors Award.

 

Eytan Tepper

Dr. Eytan Tepper is Research Professor, Space Governance & Security and Director of the Space Governance Lab at Indiana University Bloomington, where he is affiliated with the Ostrom Workshop established by Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom. He teaches courses on Space Governance and Space Cybersecurity and leads research projects on global space governance, space-cyber power, and the commercial space revolution. Dr. Tepper earned his doctorate from the McGill University Institute of Air and Space Law and subsequently pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the New York University (NYU) School of Law. Dr. Tepper has published in journals like the Maryland Law Review, the Georgia Law Review, the NYU Journal of International Law and Politics, Constitutional Political Economy, Global Studies Quarterly, McGill Annals of Air and Space Law, Journal of Space Law, Space Policy Journal, and Georgetown Journal of International Affairs. Prior to his return to academia, he was a practicing lawyer with a career spanning the public and private sectors, representing government ministries and Fortune 500 companies.

 

William Oylando Ferguson

Technical Editor, IEEE Space Systems Cybersecurity Working Group. Founder, ethicallyHackingspace (eHs)®

With over three decades of experience at the intersection of cybersecurity, defense, and space systems, William brings a rare depth of expertise to CYSAT 2026. A U.S. Air Force veteran who enlisted in 1993 as a Meteorological and Navigational Systems Specialist and later served as Instructor of Technology and Military Science at Keesler AFB, he has since held senior cybersecurity roles across industry and allied operations, including Pentagon Defensive Cyber Operations with Northrop Grumman, work on the NATO Cyber Defense Platform at NATO NCIA, Senior Manager of Cybersecurity Operations at SES Luxembourg, and Cyberspace Operations Officer with the 175th Network Warfare Squadron. A long-standing contributor to the space cybersecurity community, he co-chaired the Space ISAC ISWG from 2020 to 2022, founded ethicallyHackingspace (eHs)®, and created the METEORSTORM taxonomy for MISP to advance structured space cyber threat response and information sharing. He currently serves as Technical Editor for the IEEE Space Systems Cybersecurity Working Group, Training Lead for the Space ISAC SBOM initiative, and Aerospace Contributor to the MITRE Hardware SIG.

HACKING THE FINAL FRONTIER

A RED TEAM-FOCUSED SPACE CYBER EXPLOITATION WORKSHOP

May 20, 2026, 01:30 PM

Paris 

Workshop Synopsis:

This hands-on workshop introduces participants to the operational, environmental, and cybersecurity realities of the space domain through the lens of satellite exploitation.
Attendees will explore the current state of ground and flight software, satellite operations, and adversarial tradecraft, including real-world vulnerabilities mapped to relevant security frameworks. Through guided exercises, participants will fly and operate a simulated satellite, assume the role of a malicious insider, and develop offensive techniques tailored to space systems.

The workshop emphasizes practical exploitation mechanics: gaining access, establishing persistence, moving laterally across mission components, and concealing malicious activity within space assets. The session focuses on how space systems are compromised in practice; and what this reveals about their structural weaknesses.

Participants are required to bring a laptop for the interactive components.

SIXGEN delivers mission-aligned cyber capabilities, built for speed, resilience, and operational advantage in contested environments.

Final Frontier Security is a leader in the world of offensive cybersecurity, from space vehicles to cloud infrastructure to on-prem networks.

 

Instructors:

Michael Butler, CEO of Final Frontier Security

Michael founded Final Frontier Security to elevate quality assessments and client experience through all aspects of offensive cybersecurity, including the emergent challenges where the Space and Cybersecurity domains converge. An internationally recognized instructor on hacking space systems, AWS, Azure, and GCP environments, he continues his role as a thought leader in the cybersecurity community teaching at Black Hat, DEF CON, and many other conferences around the world.

Jacob Oakley, PhD, DSc | Chief Scientist, SIXGEN

Jacob is a cybersecurity journeyman, author, speaker, and educator with 20 years of experience. He teaches satellite hacking at Black Hat, is Space Lead and CTF Director for the DEFCON Aerospace Village and is on the Steering Committee for the IEEE Space System Cybersecurity Standard Working Group. 

DEFENDING SATELLITES: A LIVE SPACE-CYBER OPERATIONS CHALLENGE

A BLUE TEAM MISSION DEFENSE SIMULATION

May 21, 2026, 09:30 AM

Paris 

Workshop Synopsis:

Modern space-cyber threats rarely appear as isolated technical incidents; they manifest as system-level behaviors affecting spacecraft operations, communications, and mission outcomes.

This interactive workshop places participants inside a live, high-fidelity digital twin, where they assume the role of satellite operators managing evolving mission conditions under pressure. Working in small teams, participants monitor telemetry, detect anomalies, assess ambiguous signals, and make time-critical operational decisions as events unfold.

Delivered as a structured challenge environment, the exercise rewards sound prioritization, accurate diagnosis, and effective coordination. Beyond the competitive format, the workshop demonstrates how complex interactions across space, cyber, and ground segments propagate through systems, and how operator decisions directly shape mission-level outcomes.
The focus will be on operational response, resilience, and mission continuity in contested environments. Where relevant, scenarios may incorporate dependencies linked to emerging architectures or regulatory and technological shifts affecting space operations.

There are no slides and no passive observers, only teams, a live mission, and a satellite under stress.

Instructors:

Dr. Brenton Smith – CTO and Co-Founder
 

With a PhD in satellite formation control and a background spanning astrodynamics, autonomous systems, and high-fidelity modelling, Dr. Smith brings a specialist expertise to his role as CTO and Co-Founder. Brenton bridges deep technical research with deployable, operational software and leads Zendir’s team of technologists in the development of advanced simulation, mission rehearsal, and automation technologies for space operations. He has contributed to defence satellite missions, authored multiple peer-reviewed publications, and continues to mentor startups while shaping Zendir’s technical roadmap.

 

Harrison Verrios – Software Engineer

 

Harrison Verrios is an astrophysicist by training with a double degree in Science and Information Technology. His background spans planetary physics, robotics, and software development, including development of lunar and Mars prototype rovers and a published research paper on particle simulations.

Harrison has been with Zendir for 5 years delivering work across physics-based simulation, solutions architecture, and product design. He’s laser-focused on training and education solutions for the satellite industry, but always has an eye on the horizon looking for new ways to drive innovation and build capability within our sector.

 

Arthur Pappas – Chief Operating Officer

Arthur Pappas is Chief Operating Officer at Zendir, where he leads operational strategy, organizational effectiveness, and cross-functional delivery in support of the company’s high-fidelity digital twin platform for satellite operators. Having previously served as Head of Operations, Arthur has been instrumental in scaling Zendir’s commercial and operational foundations.

 

Before joining Zendir, Arthur worked across Australia’s innovation ecosystem, including roles with the Canberra Innovation Network and GRIFFIN Accelerator, where he supported and accelerated early-stage ventures, collectively increasing portfolio valuation by over $15 million. He has also contributed to national innovation programs at the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources and advised startups on commercialization and investment readiness. Arthur began his career in corporate operations at Marsh and GE Capital, building the executional discipline that underpins his leadership today.