North Korea’s cyber operations could strengthen the country’s fledgling space program if left unchecked, according to a new U.S. government report.

The Defense Intelligence Agency’s (DIA) latest report on space-based challenges, which focuses on threats from North Korea, Russia, China and Iran, also reiterates previous U.S. assessments that Pyongyang can test ballistic missile technology “under the guise of peaceful use of space.”

“Multiple North Korean hacker groups have targeted the aerospace industries potentially including space technologies,” according to the report “Challenges to Security in Space 2022” by the DIA under the Department of Defense. “This activity, if left unchecked, could