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TriSept and SpiderOak Join Forces to Tackle Growing Cyber Threat in LEO

 Dec. 7, 2022

TriSept, a leading provider of launch integration and mission management services, and SpiderOak, the leader in zero-trust cybersecurity solutions for next generation space systems, today announced a strategic partnership aimed at providing a comprehensive end-to-end security system capable of keeping critical commercial-, government-space and ground operations protected from intentional interference and attacks.

Space-based services are critical to everyday life, both for civilians and the military, supporting critical services and infrastructure including utilities, aviation, emergency communications, and military operations. The most significant threat to these space-based assets is a cyber-attack -- with the exponential growth of government and commercial satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), the vulnerability grows in lockstep.

To address this growing threat, the Linux-™based TriSept Secure Enhanced Layer (TSEL) operating system together with SpiderOak's OrbitSecure zero-trust protocol offers one of the first complete commercially available satellite security solutions capable of protecting both new space and legacy satellites operating in orbit. TSEL locks down the spacecraft hardware and OrbitSecure locks down the data exchanged between the spacecraft and ground segment. This complete end-to-end solution for secure data processing, storage, and transmission is the first of its kind. 

"As the new space economy leads to increasing dependence on spacecraft operations, commercial and government operators need a reliable and robust security solution that effectively protects against growing threats across the ground and space infrastructure supporting a broad range of missions," said Rob Spicer, TriSept CEO. "The partnership between TriSept and SpiderOak leverages our complementary TSEL and OrbitSecure technologies and a shared commitment to safe space operations to deliver a breakthrough in cybersecurity for virtually every mission." 

"SpiderOak is thrilled to partner with TriSept to provide an end-to-end satellite security solution that allows operators to unleash the full potential of their missions and the new space industry with peace of mind," said Dave Pearah, CEO, SpiderOak. "We look forward to empowering commercial and government customers with this revolutionary cybersecurity platform for upcoming missions."

TSEL, the Linux™-based TriSept Secure Enhanced Layer operating system, was developed to meet rising demand across the satellite industry for a managed cybersecurity solution. TSEL implements security best practices from 14 security industry standards and has more than 1,000 security controls applied. By offering a series of automated mechanisms and updates delivering far more detailed audit data, near-real-time security analysis and patch updates along with "Trust No One" (TNO) verification layers, TSEL protects against hackers and provides an accurate account of what's happening aboard conventional and small satellites at all times. TSEL provides protection for satellite embedded controllers of onboard systems and subsystems by detecting, tracking and eliminating known and emerging vulnerabilities.

SpiderOaks' OrbitSecure provides equally robust and reliable protections across both the ground and space infrastructure supporting satellite and mission data communications between Earth and entire constellations across LEO, MEO, GEO, and cislunar. A pure software offering, OrbitSecure leverages a unique combination of no-knowledge encryption and distributed-ledger technology to bring zero-trust security to zero-gravity environments with high assurance and pure peer-to-peer coordination and communication.