Researcher hacked Starlink terminal with $25 equipment

A Belgian researcher developed a $25 hacking tool that may disrupt Starlink's internet terminals, and he says he'll provide it to others so they can copy it. This week's Black Hat Security Conference in Las Vegas saw Lennert Wouters, a security researcher at KU Leuven, demonstrate how he was able to hack into Elon Musk's satellite dishes.

During his presentation at the conference on Wednesday, Wouters went through how he was able to break into the Starlink satellite terminal and write his own custom code by exploiting hardware vulnerabilities. “The existence of Starlink User Terminals (UT) makes them vulnerable to hardware intruders, who may freely explore the network,” wrote Wouters in a description of the briefing given on Wednesday.

SpaceX has launched 3,009 satellites into low Earth orbit, establishing a megaconstellation intended to provide worldwide connectivity. Customers may use the 19-inch wide Dishy McFlatface (a clever name given to the company's satellite dish) that comes with Starlink.

Wouters devised a modchip, or a unique circuit board that can be attached to the satellite dish, in order to hack Starlink. The modchip was built from readily available parts that cost about $25 altogether, and Wouters has made the details of the modchip available for download on GitHub.

The tiny gadget can be used to access McFlatface's software, launching an assault that creates a fault and opens up previously sealed sections of the Starlink network. “Our attack results in an unrepairable compromise of the [user terminal] and gives us complete control over it,” wrote Wouters. “Freely exploring the [user terminal] is a pre-requisite for root access on the [user terminal].

Wouters has previously accused SpaceX of having severe security flaws. SpaceX responded by updating its system, but Wouters claims that the best approach to avoid this assault is to develop a new version of the main chip.

SpaceX has made a number of foes during the process of establishing its Starlink constellation, making it vulnerable to attacks. The use of Starlink satellites to provide communications in Ukraine has incensed the Russian government, which is said to have launched a cyberattack against US satellite firm Viasat in February. In May, a Chinese military researcher published a paper describing "soft and hard kill methods" for dealing with any danger posed by the internet constellation.

Despite the fact that Wouters appears to be working against Starlink, he really wants to warn others about its vulnerabilities.