Photo: Via Satellite illustration

Deloitte is debuting a new cyber defense system for satellites called Silent Shield, a payload that can detect intrusions or anomalies. 

Deloitte announced Silent Shield on July 30, explaining it is an out-of-band defensive cyber operations (DCO) payload designed to provide cyber analytics and anomaly detection. It can be deployed as a software-only payload, or as a hardware payload with dedicated compute, memory storage, and communications. Deloitte explained Silent Shield uses a one-way diode to gain visibility across the space vehicle, without being visible to adversaries or introducing additional risks to the spacecraft. 

The company has been testing Silent Shield in orbit over the last few months, after launching it onboard the Deloitte-1 satellite in March. Since then, the team has conducted cyberattack simulations and tests on the satellite. The Deloitte-1 satellite was launched with Spire Space Services on a SpaceX rideshare mission. 

“Silent Shield can be a critical tool for organizations seeking to understand and manage the risks to their missions, strengthen their cyber resiliency and protect against evolving cyber threats,” said Brett Loubert, leader of Deloitte’s U.S. Space practice. “Silent Shield analyzes data, proactively detects abnormal activity that threatens a satellite’s ability to function and helps protect the services we’ve all come to rely on.”