IoT cybersecurity specialist WISeKey has launched an ultra-secure picosatellite solution for Quantum-Ready IoT communications through its WISeSat AG subsidiary.

The new satellite is designed to be hack proof against sophisticated, state actor attacks on satellite IoT communications and control systems. This includes hardened proof against attacks using post-quantum computing which can defeat many currently used crypto technologies.

The satellite is also very small, which is a key advantage in the emerging threat environment facing communications and control satellites in space.

The company is responding to a range of new threats to satellites. Last April, in an ethical hacking exercise, hackers from Thales Alenia Space seized control of the European Space Agency’s OPS-SAT spacecraft, affecting its operations and imagery.

A leaked CIA report has revealed that China is developing cyber weapons, capable of hacking and controlling other countries’ satellites during wartime. China has also developed anti-satellite weapons and has carried out live tests of both ASAT missiles and of kinetic kill microsatellites.

WISeSat also cites the significant disruption caused by the cyber-attack on Viasat’s broadband service last year.

WISeSat.Space, alongside SEALSQ, is addressing these concerns head-on with their groundbreaking collaboration. By incorporating the VaultIC408 secure element, they are fortifying each endpoint within the satellite network. According to the company, the initiative is designed to provide businesses, irrespective of their size, a cost-effective, ultra-secure means to establish their digital ecosystems.

Seventeen WISeSat-ready satellites have already made their journey into space via SpaceX, part of an 80-satellite constellation that aims to offer global IoT connectivity and a data latency of 10 hours.

WISeSat.Space is also fortifying its solutions against the potential threats posed by quantum computing. Implementing post-quantum solutions and robust devices will allow for secure multi-factor authentication and critical data transfer as quantum computing matures.

Employing a picosatellite also makes tracking and targeting difficult for hostile actors.