Skip to content

Lost in Space: No One Can Hear Your Breach

Elizabeth Wharton

Elizabeth Wharton navigates the legal, regulatory, and technical complexities of commercial space cyber breaches, space ransomware, and orbital jurisdiction.

Summary

The Expanding Commercial Space Economy

With privately funded launch providers, commercial satellite mega-constellations, and multinational space stations, the space sector is experiencing exponential growth.

Cyber Threats in the New Space Race

Elizabeth Wharton examines emerging space attack surfaces—including ground station ransomware, supply chain hardware tampering, and orbital satellite command injection.

Navigating Legal and Jurisdictional Ambiguity in Orbit

Wharton analyzes international space treaties (such as the 1967 Outer Space Treaty), discussing liability, national attribution, and insurance complexities when orbital assets are breached.

Establishing International Cyber Norms for Space Operations

The presentation calls for clear international cybersecurity baselines and coordinated incident disclosure frameworks for commercial space operators.

Related talks

Main Stage·49 min

  • DEF CON
  • Policy
  • Date: Aug 2025
  • Location: Las Vegas

Cooper Quintin · Lisa Femia · Thorin Klosowski · Alexis Hancock · Hannah Zhao

Electronic Frontier Foundation attorneys, technologists, and activists answer community questions on digital rights, surveillance law, privacy legislation, and AI policy.

policyprivacydigital-rights+2