CyberWire Daily When hackers become the hunted.
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Jul 17, 2025 
Jacob Oakley, Technical Director at SIXGEN and Space Lead for the DEFCON Aerospace Village, dives into the urgent challenges of space cybersecurity with host Maria Varmazis. He highlights the increasing cybercrime crackdowns, including global efforts to dismantle pro-Russian hacker networks. The discussion also touches on vulnerabilities in political cybersecurity revealed by recent ransomware attacks. Oakley stresses the vital need for collaboration between aerospace experts and cybersecurity professionals to safeguard space operations against emerging threats.
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Aerospace vs. Cybersecurity Mindsets
- Aerospace engineers tend to mistrust cybersecurity professionals due to unclear qualifications and lack of a common language.
- Cybersecurity is seen as an infinite game, contrasting with engineering's finite, rule-based problem solving.
Integrate Cybersecurity Early
- Treat cybersecurity as an essential engineering discipline integrated from the start of spacecraft design.
- Include cybersecurity experts in program meetings to define requirements early and avoid costly late-stage changes.
Flight Heritage Limits Cyber Innovation
- The aerospace industry's obsession with flight heritage hinders adoption of new cybersecurity solutions.
- Vendors struggle to prove cyber solutions without spaceflight history, limiting innovation acceptance.