Researcher Hacks Starlink Terminal to Warn SpaceX of Dangerous Flaws

A researcher from Belgium created a hacking tool that could glitch Starlink's internet terminals, and he is going to make it available for others to use. At the Black Hat Security Conference being held this week in Las Vegas, a security researcher showed how he was able to hack into Musk's satellite dishes.

Wouters went through the hardware vulnerabilities that allowed him to access the Starlink satellite terminal during his presentation at the conference. Wouters wrote that the Starlink User Terminals open the door for an attacker to explore the network.

A megaconstellation designed to beam down communication to even the most distant parts of the world has been built by the company. Starlink customers get a 19-inch wide Dishy McFlatface, a clever name for the company's satellite dish, to install on their homes or carry with them on the road.

The modchip was created by Wouters in order to hack the Starlink dish. The modchip was put together using off-the-shelf parts that cost about $25 in total, and Wouters has made the details of the mod chip available for download. The small device can be used to open parts of the Starlink system that have been locked. Wouters wrote that the attack resulted in an un fixable compromise of the Starlink user terminal. To explore the Starlink network you need root access on the user terminal.

Wouters warned the company of flaws. Wouters believes that the only way to avoid this attack is to create a new version of the main chip, according to the report.

The process of building out its Starlink constellation has made it vulnerable to possible attacks. The use of Starlink satellites to provide internet in Ukraine has angered the Russian government, which is said to have launched a cyberattack against Viasat in February. A military researcher from China published a paper in May on how to destroy Starlink satellites in order to counteract the internet constellation.

Wouters doesn't actually want to bring down Starlink, but he hopes his research can serve as a warning to fortify the satellite dishes.