Starlink satellite internet system can be hacked and interrupted with just a 25 USD circuit board

In a demonstration by security researcher Lennert Wouters, this cheap circuit board can disrupt Starlink's operation or even disable part of its system.

With more than 3,000 small satellites in Earth's orbit, billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX owns a global network of satellites, capable of providing satellite internet to 36 countries around the world. However, with a device that only costs $25, a Belgian security researcher was able to hack into Starlink's satellite dish through a critical vulnerability he discovered.

During last week's Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, researcher Lennert Wouters demonstrated that he could hack into Starlink's internet system through a cheap custom circuit board made from easily available parts on the Internet. market.

Starlink internet receiver disc.

However, he still needed physical access to Starlink's internet receiver to mount this custom board on it. Once attached to the satellite dish, the board can access its software, bypassing Starlink's security layer and allowing Wouters to control its functions. During the test attack, Wouters was able to disrupt the signal as well as open the possibility of locking down certain parts of Starlink's system.

"Let's say you're an attacker and want to attack the satellite itself." Wouters told Wired. "You might have to build your own system to communicate with the satellite, but this is very difficult. So if you want to attack that satellite, it's much easier if you go over the dish. receive the signal given to the user".

Board with custom chip to hack Starlink system.

Starlink's system is divided into three main parts: the satellite, the interface to send out internet connections, and the user's signal dish - also known by Musk employees as "Dishy McFlatface" - or food dish. eat. Wouters' Starlink vulnerability research focused on these receiver disks.

Last year Wouters disclosed this vulnerability to SpaceX through the company's vulnerability bounty program. Not long after, Starlink also released a document explaining how they secure the system along with a firmware update that "makes this attack harder to perform, but still possible." Therefore, Wouters thinks that the sure way to avoid this attack is to create a new chip version for the Starlink satellite dish.

Now, Wouters has published the details of its custom board as well as the code of the attack on GitHub for others to access.