Connectivity
Satellite connectivity now underpins aviation, maritime, defense, and cellular backhaul, which makes every new link a new thing to defend. This section tracks how direct-to-device services, non-terrestrial networks, and megaconstellations expand both coverage and the attack surface, and what operators are doing to keep traffic segmented, authenticated, and resilient.
6 articles in Connectivity.
Latest storySatellites Face a 2030 Deadline for Quantum-Safe Encryption
A June 2026 executive order gives federal systems until 2030 to adopt quantum-safe encryption. Satellites, built to last 15 years, are already behind.
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Four Bugs in iDirect VSAT Terminals Leak Satellite Network Keys
CISA disclosed four vulnerabilities in ST Engineering iDirect's iQ-Series satellite terminals, including one that exposes network authentication keys without a password.
Spain Rebuilds Its Secure Satellite Link, Built to Resist Jamming
Spain's Hisdesat has contracted Airbus and Thales Alenia Space to build SpainSat NG III, a secure satellite hardened against jamming and spoofing, replacing the one lost in January.
The Security Catch in the Space Force's Multi-Vendor Satellite Network
The Space Force is wiring five more vendors into its Space Data Network. The standardized interfaces that let those constellations interconnect are also where security risk concentrates.
Direct-to-Cell Satellites Inherit the Phone Network's Weaknesses
Starlink and AST SpaceMobile are putting LTE base stations in orbit so ordinary phones can connect. Research shows direct-to-cell carries the mobile network's known signaling weaknesses with it.
AST SpaceMobile's Phone Satellites Are Also Becoming a GPS Backup
AST SpaceMobile is carving out secure spectrum on its phone satellites to feed the Pentagon an alternative to GPS, and its ground segment has to keep that traffic separate from ordinary phone calls.