Microsoft joins Space ISAC as founding member to further space cybersecurity intelligence

Microsoft's Cyber Defense Operations Center

Microsoft is joining the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) to advance the protection of space-based critical assets vital to government agencies and the global economy. As the first hyperscale cloud service provider to join this member organization, we will share our unique global threat insights to protect critical infrastructure and strengthen cybersecurity expertise in the space community.

Through Microsoft’s founding membership in the Space ISAC we look forward to supporting the mission to facilitate collaboration across the global space industry, to enhance the community’s ability to prepare for and respond to cyber vulnerabilities, incidents and threats; disseminate timely information; and serve as the primary communications channel for the sector.

Supporting the cybersecurity mission needs of the space community

Microsoft invests over $1 billion dollars annually on cybersecurity and has a team of more than 3,500 global security experts across 77 countries interpreting and contributing to the insights gained from our advanced engineering and telemetry. Microsoft is at the forefront of cybersecurity threat detection, leveraging our analysis of over 8 trillion diverse threat signals daily across over 200 global consumer and commercial services, yielding unparalleled threat intelligence.

Microsoft provides world-class threat detection technologies including those built into Azure, Windows and Microsoft 365, and we will be exploring ways to apply these solutions toward protecting space systems. This level of investment and expertise will help support the mission of the Space ISAC and enhance the space community’s ability to detect threats, bolster protections and develop defense strategies.

Space: Expanding frontier in cybersecurity

The space community is growing rapidly, and innovation is lowering the barriers of access for both public and private organizations. Space connectivity and compute is becoming progressively more attainable across industries including agriculture, energy, telecommunications and government. Like other increasingly digital infrastructures, satellites and other space-based assets can be vulnerable to cyberattacks.

The increase in availability and connectivity of space technology increases the surface area of cybersecurity risk and the urgency for collaboration to address the threat. Microsoft recognizes the importance of navigating these emergent cybersecurity challenges amidst rapid commercial advancements in communications infrastructure, satellite connectivity and broadband.

Collaborating with space experts to increase space cybersecurity intelligence

Bill Chappell, vice president of mission Systems, will represent Microsoft on the Space ISAC board of directors alongside prominent organizations in the space community including Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.  Booz Allen Hamilton, MITRE, SES, Lockheed Martin, Parsons Corporation, Purdue University, Space Dynamics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Aerospace Corporation, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and Northrop Grumman. We are already working with many of the Space ISAC members as part of our robust geospatial partner ecosystem to build solutions for industry, the U.S. government and international organizations.

Learn more

Microsoft continues to build cloud capabilities to meet the unique needs of space – connectivity solutions, emulating space missions, discovering insights from satellite data and fueling innovation both on the ground and in orbit. We will continue to enable a groundbreaking space community by expanding our support and addressing evolving mission needs. As we partner with Space ISAC we look forward to sharing our progress in ensuring the highest levels of cybersecurity across the universe.

Learn more here.

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