Researchers report over 237 cyber operations struck space infrastructure from 2023 through 2025.
Cyberwarfare now threatens satellites and communication networks, the report warns.
Between January 2023 and July 2025, attackers targeted the space sector during the Gaza conflict.
The Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zürich analyzed social media, news, and cybercrime forums to track attacks on Israeli and global space agencies.
Cyberattacks spiked dramatically during the Israel-Iran conflict in June 2025, with 72 operations in a single month.
Clémence Poirier, the report’s author, says this figure represents almost one-third of all recorded incidents.
The study finds that attacks on space infrastructure mirror patterns observed in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Researchers identify nearly all threat actors as pro-Palestinian groups, except one.
Hamas lacks satellites or space systems over Gaza, while pro-Israeli groups may have acted covertly.
Patterns and Targets of Cyber Operations
Hackers launched ten attacks in October 2023 after Hamas’s incursion on October 7.
They struck the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and Israeli defence firm Rafael.
The report notes the escalation surprised global hacktivists, delaying their coordination and target selection.
Hacktivists attacked 77 space organisations during the Gaza conflict.
They mainly hit Rafael, Elbit Systems, and the ISA, but also targeted international agencies such as NASA.
Attackers focused on aerospace and defence companies for their military manufacturing, not their space activities.
More than 70 percent of cyber operations used denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that overwhelmed networks and disrupted systems.
DDoS attacks require minimal technical skill, occur quickly, and can distract from more advanced intrusions.
Other attacks included data leaks, intrusions, and breaches of sensitive information.
Some data leaks or sales coincided with key conflict events, though verification proved difficult, and timing may be fabricated.
The study concludes that manual open-source research reveals only a fraction of total cyber activity against space systems.
Growing Consistency in Space Cyber Warfare
The largest wave occurred when Israel and Iran attacked each other for 12 days in June 2025, producing 72 cyber operations.
Pro-Palestinian and pro-Iranian groups targeted Israel simultaneously during the peak.
The report states the two conflicts influenced each other politically, militarily, and rhetorically.
Hacktivists adopted tactics from previous conflicts and reused them in Gaza.
In 2023, the Cyber Army of Palestine deployed DDoS attacks on the ISA using code similar to Ukraine’s IT Army.
Most incidents caused minor operational or physical damage, but they reveal the emerging patterns of space cyber conflict.
Researchers argue that cyber operations now form consistent features of modern conflicts, driven by hacktivist interest in space targets.
The study urges governments and companies to develop space-focused cyber strategies to protect infrastructure from future attacks.
