At the Black Hat Security Conference this week in Las Vegas, KU Leuven researcher Lennert Wouters showed how he could hack into SpaceX's Starlink satellite dishes, as reported first by WIRED.
It only required a $25 hacking tool developed by Lennert, and at the same time, he is making the tool open source for others to try themselves.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FL - APRIL 20: In this handout photo provided by NASA, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Launch Complex 39A during a brief static fire test ahead of NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission, April 20, 2022, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA's SpaceX Crew-4 mission is the fourth crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines, Jessica Watkins, and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti are scheduled to launch on April 23 at 5:26 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
Hacking SpaceX
Wouters described the flaws that enabled him to break into Starlink satellite terminals and write his own unique code during his presentation on Wednesday, Aug. 10.
More than 3,000 satellites have been placed in low Earth orbit by SpaceX. Customers who wish to use the satellite internet service must pay over $100 per month and more than $500 for the hardware necessary to install the 19-inch wide "Dishy" satellite dish.
To access Dishy, Wouters created a specially designed modchip. WIRED reported that this special circuit board hooked to Dishy can be simply manufactured using store-bought components that cost about $25.The instructions for building the modchip are available on Github, thanks to Wouters.
Users can access Dishy's software using the specially made gadget, and it is capable of launching an attack that results in a flaw providing hackers access to secured areas of the system.
In the summary of his briefing, Wouters stated that "the widespread availability of Starlink User Terminals (UT) exposes them to hardware hackers and opens the door for an attacker to freely explore the network."
Read also: SpaceX Starlink Launch is a Success! 50 New Satellites in Orbit-How Far is Elon Musk From His Goal?
SpaceX's Software Update
SpaceX has already implemented a software update to fix the problem in response to Wouters' warning about the faults in its system.
However, Wouters asserts that altering Dishy's primary chip is the only way SpaceX can guarantee that others won't attack its system.
Wouters didn't divulge his knowledge to aid in hacking Starlink satellite dishes. Rather, he anticipates that it will assist the private space company in enhancing cybersecurity for its clients.
Related Article: SpaceX Starlink Internet Speed Surpasses 400Mbps! Expect Better Performance as More Sats Reach Earth's Orbit
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
