Belgian researcher hacks Space X’s Starlink Terminal

This Belgian security researcher hacked the Starlink satellite network. But why actually?

Within 5 years, the American company SpaceX launched more than 3,000 satellites into orbit around the Earth. Thanks to this sheer size, the Starlink satellite network makes it easy to connect to the Internet in remote places. This may be over, a Belgium media expert warns. He hacked the Starlink network on his own.

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friend and foe

Lennert Wouters, a security researcher at KU Leuven, revealed during Black Hat Security Conference In Las Vegas, a security flaw on Starlink satellite dishes.

Wouters assembled a hacking tool himself, which he attached to his Starlink bowl. The custom chip costs less than 25 euros. Once attached to the dish, the chip launches an attack that temporarily short-circuits the system. Voila: Thanks to the flaw, Wouters can hack all the locked points in the Starlink system.

Although he suggests otherwise, Wouters is not out for Starlink’s downfall. The researcher wants to alert SpaceX of their flaws, so that actual enemies can’t hack the Starlink system.

Enemies abound. For example, Starlink helped improve connectivity in Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Putin was not happy about that. In addition, Russia already carried out a cyberattack on the US satellite company Viasat in February. Also, a Chinese information scientist recently announced his distaste for Starlink. In May posted a Research to “soft and hard killing techniques” to get America’s satellites out among the stars.

Sources: GizmodoAnd the wired

Photo: Pixabay