Threat actors may initially seek to gain an understanding of a target Ground Station by gathering information of mission that are known to use a specific provider. Gathering information commonly captured in a Concept of Operations (or similar) document and related artifacts. Information of interest includes, but is not limited to: - the needs, goals, and objectives of the system - system overview and key elements/instruments - modes of operations (including operational constraints) - proposed capabilities and the underlying science/technology used to provide capabilities (i.e., scientific papers, research studies, etc.) - physical and support environments
This type of attack technique cannot be easily mitigated with preventive controls since it is based on the abuse of system features.