This week, Raytheon, Raytheon BBN, SpiderOak, SEAKR Engineering have formed a strategic partnership to develop and deploy zero-trust security systems for SATCOMs according to industry publication, SatNews, a leading provider of satellite news, events, publications, research and other satellite industry information in both commercial and military enterprises worldwide (SatNews, 2023).  This endeavor will combine SpiderOak’s OrbitSecure with Raytheon BBN’s Distributed, Disrupted, Disconnected, and Denied (D4) secure cloud enterprise.  OrbitSecure utilizes zero-trust protocol and a decentralized key management system to support multiple vendor, multiple network distributed architectures and is backward compatible with existing satellites (PR Newsire, 2022).  OrbitSecure brings cybersecurity protection for both civil and military space assets while remaining resilient even with network hardware and software cyber compromises.

Raytheon’s D4 secure cloud enterprise “ensures that the satellite constellation provides the best routing solution during normal operation, while also dynamically supporting autonomous cross-link routing during disrupted environments (SatNews, 2023).”  Integrated with the security afforded by OrbitSecure, D4 will ensure that customer’s space assets in proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) are protected even in difficult or hostile operating environments.  Zero-trust architecture will help deny access for unauthorized belligerents and limit the ability of lateral movement within the D4 network utilized by the space assets by requiring authentication and authorizations before a session can begin (Rose, Borchert, Mitchell, & Connelly, 2020).

Works Cited

PR Newsire. (2022, November 02). SpiderOak Announces Contract with U.S. Defense Innovation Unit to Demonstrate OrbitSecure Zero-Trust Protocol On-Orbit. Retrieved from prnewsire.com: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spideroak-announces-contract-with-us-defense-innovation-unit-to-demonstrate-orbitsecure-zero-trust-protocol-on-orbit-301666252.html

Rose, S., Borchert, O., Mitchell, S., & Connelly, S. (2020). Zero Trust Architecture. National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST. Retrieved from https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-207.pdf

SatNews. (2023, April 11). Raytheon Technologies + SpiderOak collaborate to secure SATCOM in pLEO. Retrieved from news.satnews.com: https://news.satnews.com/2023/04/11/raytheon-technologies-spideroak-collaborate-to-secure-satcom-in-pleo/