Space tech giant Maxar confirms attackers accessed employee data

Satellite and space technology leader Maxar Space Systems has suffered a data breach.

“Our information security team discovered that a hacker using a Hong Kong-based IP address targeted and accessed a Maxar system containing certain files with employee personal data,” the company’s data breach notice says.

“When we discovered this on October 11,2024, we took immediate action to prevent further unauthorized access to the system. Nevertheless, according to our investigation, the hacker likely had access to the files on the system for approximately one ‘week before this action was taken.”

The following employee data has been accessed:

• Name
• Home address
• Social security number
• Business contact information (phone, location, email, etc.)
• Gender
• Employment status
• Employee number
• Job title
• Hire date, role start date, and, if applicable, termination date
• Supervisor
• Department

The files accessed by the attacker(s) did not contain any bank account information or dates of birth.

Maxar launched an investigation after becoming aware of the issue, working with cybersecurity experts and law enforcement to assess the scope of the breach and secure affected systems.

This attack comes as the space and defense sector faces escalating cyber threats, with adversaries targeting strategic infrastructure and sensitive personnel data.