Security News > 2022 > August > Starlink Successfully Hacked Using $25 Modchip
A Belgian security researcher has successfully hacked the SpaceX operated Starlink satellite-based internet system using a homemade circuit board that cost around $25 to develop, he revealed at Black Hat.
Lennert Wouters revealed a voltage fault injection attack on a Starlink User Terminal-or satellite dish people use to access the system - that allowed him to break into the dish and explore the Starlink network from there, he revealed in a presentation called "Glitched on Earth by Humans" at the annual ethical hacker conference this week.
He developed the tool using low-cost, off-the-shelf parts and was able to use it to obtain root access by glitching the Starlink UT security operations center bootrom, according to a tweet previewing the presentation that he said was sent through a rooted Starlink UT. To design the modchip, Wouters scanned the Starlink dish and created the design to fit over the existing Starlink board.
"The ability to obtain root access on the Starlink UT is a prerequisite to freely explore the Starlink network."
Wouters was able to explore the Starlink network and its communication links once he gained access to the system, adding that other researchers can potentially build on the work to further explore the Starlink ecosystem.
Knowing the critical nature of its security, SpaceX already has responded to Wouters' presentation with a six-page paper published online inviting security researchers to "Bring on the bugs" to help the company better protect the Starlink system as well as offering a detailed explanation of how it protects Starlink.