Thales and SeedFence Selected by CNES for an Onboard Cyber Detection Solution

  • Cybersecurity
  • Research & innovation
  • Europe
  • Type News In Brief
  • Published

Following a competitive tender process, Thales and its French partner SeedFence have been awarded a contract by the CNES (French national space agency) to deploy one of the first onboard cyber detection solutions for satellites in France and Europe.

At a time when cyberattacks are on the rise and the space domain is becoming a strategic target, constellations of small satellites represent a growing attack surface, while currently lacking onboard detection capabilities.

SeedFence, a French start-up founded in 2023, specialises in cybersecurity for mobile and embedded systems and develops cutting-edge, AI-powered XDR technology that offers the flexibility to be adapted to a wide range of embedded systems.

By combining the space expertise of Thales Alenia Space and the cybersecurity expertise of Thales with SeedFence’s embedded XDR technology, the two partners will study a comprehensive cyber surveillance solution capable of detecting both known and unknown anomalies, enhanced by data from simulation and digital twin technologies. This 12-month project marks a first for the CNES in the field of onboard cyber detection and will contribute to strengthening the French nanosatellite ecosystem.