The Hidden Security Risk Above Our Heads

During a typical day on Earth, we send text messages, transfer money, and use GPS to get around, all while oblivious to the satellites thousands of miles above us providing the infrastructure that makes it all possible. But some researchers are paying close attention to these spacecraft – and their vulnerability to hackers and cybercriminals. Kimmo Halunen, a professor of cyber security at the University of Oulu, is one of them.

In our globalised world, geopolitical conflicts mean these assets are singled out for the immense societal damage that disruption would cause. And our shared dependence on this infrastructure means that even bystanding countries aren’t safe. “For instance, when Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022 and took down some of their satellite communications capabilities through a commercial vendor VIASAT / KA-SAT, that affected energy systems in Germany as well,” Kimmo explains. 

Protecting our satellites is therefore critical, and is one of the key concerns of Oulu’s SafeEarth programme, led by Kimmo. But as well as man-made risks including cybercrime, the programme also explores the danger naturally occurring risks – like solar flares – pose to space security, as well as how stakeholders can effectively share information during a crisis. 

As part of its efforts to understand the interconnections between space security and cybersecurity, SafeEarth is analysing new technologies, including quantum computing and AI. Kimmo notes that the explosion of the latter in technology today is a double-edged sword. “There is definitely more complexity, more of an attack surface, and new vulnerabilities in AI systems themselves. But AI has been used for decades in fighting cyber crime and cyber attacks, so there is definitely still work to be done on the defence side.”

At the forefront of this field, his research team recently published a tool called AVISE, a platform for testing vulnerabilities in AI systems. “We started with large language models (LLMs), because they're getting quite a lot of attention at the moment. But the platform and framework itself can be applied to other types of AI systems as well.”

Oulu’s deep history in cybersecurity research informs its pioneering work, allowing researchers to draw on the knowledge of faculty who are leaders in this field. “The vulnerability research from my own research group has now been ongoing for 30 years,” says Kimmo. 

As well as this embedded expertise, Oulu is notable for its connections with the broader world of technology. “We have a history of startups and collaborations with companies, both nationally and through EU projects, as well as participants from the third sector and government institutions. This means our results can quickly have an impact on society,” says Kimmo.

Part of the key to getting cybersecurity solutions out of the lab and into the real world is Oulu’s interdisciplinary approach, Kimmo notes. “We can't solve all cyber security issues with technology alone. We need to be able to understand other issues and work with a multitude of stakeholders from different backgrounds – economists, politicians, all kinds of people – to solve this. Because our society here in Finland, and most of the Western world, is so digitalised, cyber security isn't just a technological issue – it's really a societal issue,” he says. 

When the researchers want a break from protecting the infrastructure the modern world depends on, the city of Oulu – recently named the European Capital of Culture – has plenty to offer, from air guitar world championships to skiing. “You can find both the urban activities and culture you might expect from a university city, as well as very serene nature just a few minutes away,” says Kimmo. “I can walk five minutes and I'm beside the lake, and go for a swim or fish. And I cycle to work most of the year, whether it's midsummer or December.”