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From hospital shutdowns to financial system disruptions, real-world incidents reveal the human and geopolitical stakes of fragile infrastructures. As satellite systems became the central nervous system of global infrastructure, we move beyond simple cyber-defense toward a framework of digital sustainability. This op-ed by Kiswendsida Romuald Zongo explores how global powers are shaping competing models of digital sovereignty and argues for a new framework built on prevention, protection, and sustainability - extending from terrestrial systems to orbital assets.
Digital transformation has profoundly redefined the foundations of power. Sovereignty is no longer confined to the control of physical territory; it now encompasses the mastery of data, digital infrastructures, and space-based assets. Furthermore, for the past year, we have ceased to describe space as a "new" domain, as the reality for Ukraine and Europe has shifted from science fiction to a frontline reality over the last four years.
In this landscape, critical infrastructures, such as energy, healthcare, and water, stand at the nexus of global competition where economic interests and multidimensional risks converge. The scale of this vulnerability is evidenced by historical data. In 2017, a ransomware attack on a São Paulo hospital paralyzed IT systems for 57,000 individuals, compromising vital care continuity.
In Norway, solar storm-induced disruptions have affected GPS signals since 2015, hindering maritime traffic and revealing the critical dependence of economic activities on space infrastructure. Finally, in 2020, a major cloud provider outage in India blocked access to essential public services for millions.
Rogers Outage (2022), A massive network failure paralyzed payment systems, emergency services, and transportation nationwide. This incident served as a critical turning point, leading to government-mandated emergency roaming agreements between competitors. It highlights the transition from individual corporate responsibility toward a model of collective resilience, where the continuity of vital services takes precedence over market competition.
Critical data flows, GNSS signals, financial streams, and electrical grid sensors, form the invisible backbone of modern society. The compromise of this data carries a direct human cost, as seen in Germany, in the September 2020 ransomware attack on Düsseldorf University Hospital. A patient in a life-threatening emergency died due to treatment delays caused by server paralysis. Beyond healthcare, the 2021 cloud infrastructure failure in the U.S. crippled health platforms and digital public services, highlighting how the concentration of strategic data creates single points of failure for national security.
The 2022 cyberattack against Spain’s National Research Council (CSIC) targeted the heart of the country’s scientific sovereignty, attempting to exfiltrate sensitive data and highlighting that even non-military institutions are front-line targets in the global race for technological mastery. Furthermore, the financial heart of the global economy is equally at risk.
The 2023 cyber disruption affecting ION Cleared Derivatives, a key provider for the London financial ecosystem, forced several UK and international banks to process trades manually, highlighting a dangerous systemic vulnerability in the "wire" of global finance. In response to these risks, the regulatory landscape is shifting toward predictive oversight: by 2025-2026, the full implementation of the CIRCIA law in the U.S. will mandate 72-hour incident reporting, driving the industry toward radical transparency in data protection.
Governance frameworks reflect a fierce competition between innovation and centralized control. While the U.S. model relies on private sector agility, the Chinese model focuses on mandatory data localization and state mastery. Through the Digital Silk Road, China exports digital infrastructure to more than 140 countries, creating structural dependencies.
The risks of such centralization were stark in 2022, when cloud outages in major Chinese metropolises paralyzed mobile payments and urban services, illustrating the fragility of centralized digital architectures.
To navigate this environment of hybrid risks (cyber, geopolitical, and climate), we propose an integrated framework founded on three strategic pillars:
Terrestrial resilience is now inseparable from orbital security. Space-based infrastructures (GNSS, telecommunications) are the central nervous system of every terrestrial asset. A disruption of space services simultaneously affects navigation, telecommunications, and global logistical synchronization.
The 2020 NZX Stock Exchange attack in New Zealand showed that even financial markets are vulnerable to these network threats. Any resilience strategy that overlooks the vulnerability of satellite assets remains inherently incomplete against modern hybrid risks.
Digital resilience is the foundation of national security and citizen trust. In an era where space operations are an immediate reality, we must adopt integrated governance to protect the heart of our societies: critical data. Transitioning from theory to action is a strategic imperative for global stability.
Author: Kiswendsida Romuald Zongo, Doctoral Researcher & Ph.D. Candidate in Sustainability Education, Prescott College, USA; International Independent Consultant.
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