Why India’s space and cyber domains need well-built 'cybershield'

Recent and ongoing global conflicts are seeing a rapid shift towards technological dependency in warfare. The two domains of warfare—space and cyber—have contributed to the ability of military technology to lead the current discourse in conflict.

The use of outer space in war has a notable impact on battlefield transparency, speed, reach, and accuracy. Space-based long-range missiles, drones, and aerial platforms have made the skies vulnerable to top attacks. Nations with advanced space infrastructure have an edge over adversarial military forces through prompt detection, recognition, identification, and target acquisition that makes them beat the opponent’s decision cycle. The ‘ear on the surface and eye in the sky’ is a lethal blend.

As compared to the number of nations that have developed space capabilities, there are many more nations that have developed cyber competencies; rogue states are also ahead in this field. This capability gap makes it easy to conclude that there is a potential threat to space-faring nations from their cyber-armed adversaries. Similarly, nations that have both space and cyber capabilities are also using space for cyber strikes. This makes cyberspace a very potent domain in warfare, also called the fifth frontier.

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Once the bullseye is locked on the ‘weakest spot’ in the space infrastructure of the target country, the deterrence is loaded with a threat to devastate and achieve a particular military or political outcome. In recent years, attacks targeting critical infrastructure and businesses have surged. These include the 2017 WannaCry and NotPetya ransomware attacks, the 2015 attack on Ukrainian power grids, and the 2010 Stuxnet attack on Iranian nuclear reactors. The recent attack on SpaceX by LockBit is noteworthy. The systems that are earmarked as ‘high security networks’ are classified as critical infrastructure and given top priority in cyber security. Unfortunately, space assets are not classified as such a priority. Since space is pervasive and ubiquitous in application, it has far too many critical elements that go beyond typical classification.

Also, the space networks lie in the open spectrum. Therefore, space infrastructure that has a global spread needs a cybershield. China has launched a Quantum satellite using Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) encryption to secure space communications. China is sending survey ships into the Indian Ocean to sense Indian vulnerabilities. Such actions by China support their ‘boiling frog strategy’—to get the adversary used to measured belligerence and push them to gradual defeat.

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Space and cyber are known as the fourth and fifth domains of warfare, respectively. Both of these domains, when added to the first three primary domains, i.e., land, sea, and air power, add up to become five domains of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) with cohesive operational centricity. Till the time the Army, Navy, and Air Force remained confined within their respective domains, there was not much to worry about as it was convenient to maintain network protection through isolation.

Similarly, when the space emerged as the new turf in the 1950’s, it also remained confined within its domain; it remained isolated and secure. Soon enough, the space programmes began running military communications and terrestrial observation for deeper and better communications and intelligence, introducing the lexicon C3-I and further expanding into C3-I2 (Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, and Interoperability), where the command and control of the forces were possible over larger distances and wider areas and territories. It is now possible to connect arrayed forces and make them interoperable. With the advent and introduction of computers (the fourth ‘C’), the terminology extended to C4-I2.

This gave birth to the introduction of smarter systems with high computing and communication power through the internet. The shift of millennia has brought in cyber (the fifth ‘C’) to integrate the early combine, defined as Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities (CEMA), that exploit electronic warfare, cyber, and security capabilities to deliver information advantage in MDO.

Today, we are nearing achieving the C5-I2-STAR2 (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber-Intelligence, Interoperability-Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance, and Robotics), which is capable of meshing intelligence and operations. The web so created is now making it possible to interlink terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, making processes faster but more complex. The complexity is best handled through effective central and/or distributed command and control.

Cyberwarfare has emerged as the fastest-growing domain of war and acts as a silent killer (Non-Contact/ Non-Kinetic). It can create a web kill chain that is more devastating than physical or analogue kill chains. It has the ability to penetrate networks undetected. It utilises the backdoor of systems and hides into critical components such as chips, hardware, and software. It can impersonate, choke, or chew up the C2 systems.

Cyberattacks have the ability to take down any of the first four frontiers when they are interconnected. Similarly, the cyber web, if configured well through technology, processes, and policies, has the ability to protect the first four domains, providing wholesome protection like a cybershield.

Cybershield goes beyond conventional cybersecurity. The shield benchmarks must be the highest in regulations, standards, discipline, and architecture. The space domain is sensitive, and the space community must be cyber-capable and proficient to qualify for ‘Space-Cyber Shield’ needs. It is imperative for the nation to take a call on building cyber resilient space standards. This would require special skill sets, infrastructure, and certification in supply chains, designing, and manufacturing. The Indian armed forces are rapidly modernising and integrating for MDO. The nation is increasingly opening up to privatisation while transiting beyond Industry 4.0 standards. The Armed Forces are incrementally collaborating with foreign forces. The space and cyber domains are global in nature. Both domains have two spheres: national and international. Both spheres need a well-built cybershield.

Lt Gen PJS Pannu, is a former Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.