On March 19, 2024, the Embassy of Switzerland in the United States hosted the first ever CYSAT USA edition. CYSAT is the biggest gathering in Europe for Cybersecurity applied to Space assets such as satellite communications. Thanks to a steady partnership with the Swiss company CYSEC, the Embassy hosted an important discussion at the Residence of the Swiss Ambassador with the title “Space & Cybersecurity – what are the next Challenges?”
The security of satellite communications is essential in key fields of operation such as military transmissions, ships, cargo and navigation industry, diplomatic correspondences, and air traffic. The event started with an insightful panel discussion comprised of representatives from the private sector such as Airbus as well as defense organizations, the U.S. government, and researchers in the field of Cybersecurity.
The panel discussion was moderated by Sandra Erwin, reporter for Space News, and featured the following distinguished panelists:
• Colonel Christophe Grandclément – Space Branch Head (NATO)
• Brian Maguire – Senior Director Airbus Defense & Space (USA)
• Lauryn Williams – Office of the National Cyber Director, The White House (USA)
• Dr. Emna Amri – Innovation Director, CYSEC (Switzerland)
The diversity of approaches and inputs from these representatives of various organizations gave the audience a thorough overview of the challenges in the Cybersecurity domain and its regulatory framework in this rapidly developing space economy.
The discussion was followed by a technical presentation by Dr. Emna Amri, Innovation Director at the Swiss company CYSEC, and James Pavur, PhD in Cybersecurity applied to space and worldwide recognized Ethical Hacker from the United States. Based on his PhD research, James presented to the audience how concrete threats and risks occur and which solutions can make a significant impact in securing satellite communications. Emna presented the technology developed by CYSEC, whose reasoning is actually based on James’ PhD findings. The second part of the event allowed the attendees to grasp the dangers of cyber threats and identify measures by the private and public sectors that can effectively counter them.
The first ever CYSAT USA was attended by many professionals from the fields of the space economy, Cybersecurity researchers, policy-makers as well as defense representatives. During the networking reception following the program, the guests had a unique opportunity to engage with the speakers, share experiences, and discuss solutions.
The image gallery below gives insights into some of the highlights of this event.
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