24 March 2025

Commissioned by Ground Control, the research engaged over 500 professionals across various sectors, including healthcare, energy, utilities, transport, financial services, manufacturing, and agriculture.

The findings reveal that 82% of respondents believe organizations are not investing sufficiently in cybersecurity protections for CNI. As cyber-attacks continue to pose a major threat to national security, these concerns are amplified amidst the rapid evolution of technology. 62% of participants expressed that they would feel safer if CNI had backup satellite communications in case of a cyberattack or connectivity failure. A concerning 46% reported having "little or no confidence" in the cybersecurity measures of the healthcare sector, the lowest rated among industries. No sector received more than 31% positive responses in terms of moderate or full confidence in their cybersecurity protections. Higher-income households, particularly those earning £140,000+, expressed more concern over cybersecurity compared to lower-income households earning £20,000 or less.

Many traditional modes of communication, such as cellular data that pass through local Internet Service Providers (ISPs), can introduce vulnerabilities such as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, ‘Man-in-the-Middle’ attacks, and DNS poisoning. In contrast, satellite communications offer a layer of protection by bypassing local ISPs, which can mitigate exposure to regional cyber threats. Additionally, the physical attack surface is reduced due to much of the infrastructure being situated in space, making satellite signals harder to intercept than those from cellular networks.

However, as satellite services continue to proliferate, users are encouraged to consider which service best meets their security needs and to evaluate factors such as encryption standards, the robustness and flexibility of virtual private networks (VPNs) and firewalls, and the possibility of using private wire connections.