Researchers document over 237 cyber operations targeting space infrastructure between 2023 and 2025.
Cyber actors threaten satellites and communications systems during the Gaza conflict, the report warns.
The Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zürich analyzed social media posts, news stories, and cybercrime forum information to track attacks on Israeli and global space agencies.
June 2025 saw the sharpest rise in space cyberattacks when Israel and Iran engaged, producing 72 operations in one month.
Report author Clémence Poirier notes this surge accounts for almost one-third of all recorded incidents.
The study identifies cyber operations against the space sector as part of a growing pattern in wartime, similar to attacks during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Researchers found that nearly all threat actors belonged to pro-Palestinian groups.
The study highlights that Hamas lacks satellites or space systems over Gaza, while pro-Israeli actors may have acted covertly.
Targeted Strikes and Methods
Hacktivists carried out ten attacks in October after Hamas’s armed incursion on October 7, 2023.
These operations focused on the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and defence firm Rafael.
Researchers report that the escalation surprised global hacktivists and delayed their organization and target selection.
During the Gaza conflict, attackers struck 77 space organisations, including Rafael, Elbit Systems, the ISA, and NASA.
Cyber actors mostly targeted aerospace and defence companies for their military manufacturing, not their space functions.
Over 70 percent of attacks used denial-of-service (DDoS) methods, overwhelming networks until systems crashed.
DDoS attacks require minimal technical skill, work quickly, and distract from more complex operations.
Hackers also executed data leaks, intrusions, and breaches.
Some leaks or data sales aligned with significant conflict events, though researchers caution that timing may be fabricated.
The study concludes that manual open-source research likely underestimates the true scale of attacks on the space sector.
Patterns and Future Risks
The largest activity spike occurred during 12 days of Israel-Iran conflict in June 2025, generating 72 cyber operations.
Pro-Palestinian and pro-Iranian groups simultaneously targeted Israel during this period.
The report notes that both wars influenced each other politically, militarily, and rhetorically, while actors engaged across arenas.
Hacktivists copied successful methods from previous conflicts and applied them during the Gaza crisis.
For example, a 2023 DDoS attack by the “Cyber Army of Palestine” on the ISA reused code resembling tools used by Ukraine’s IT Army.
Most attacks caused limited operational or physical damage, yet the pattern signals the future of space cyber conflict.
Researchers assert that cyber operations now form consistent elements in modern warfare due to hacktivists’ focus on the space sector.
The study recommends creating dedicated cyber strategies to safeguard space infrastructure from future attacks.
