Cyberattack knocks out satellite communications for Russian military

Dozor-Teleport, the satellite system’s operator, switched some users to terrestrial networks during the outage, according to JD Work, a cyberspace professor at the National Defense University. Analyst Doug Madory of Kentik, which monitors online traffic, said one network was taken Read More …

Ukraine’s secret cyber-defense that blunts Russian attacks: excellent backups

The Kremlin-backed cyberattack against satellite communications provider Viasat, which happened an hour before Russia invaded Ukraine, was “one of the biggest cyber events that we have seen, perhaps ever, and certainly in warfare,” according to Dmitri Alperovitch, a co-founder of Read More …

U.S. Government Attributes Cyberattacks on SATCOM Networks to Russian State-Sponsored Malicious Cyber Actors

CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have updated the joint cybersecurity advisory, Strengthening Cybersecurity of SATCOM Network Providers and Customers, originally released March 17, 2022, with U.S. government attribution to Russian state-sponsored malicious cyber actors. The United States Read More …

Modem-wiping malware caused Viasat satellite broadband outage in Europe

Tens of thousands of Viasat satellite broadband modems that were disabled in a cyber-attack some weeks ago were wiped by malware with possible links to Russia’s destructive VPNFilter, according to SentinelOne. On February 24, as Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Viasat Read More …

Britain, U.S. warn of satellite communications risks after Ukraine hack

Britain and the United States have warned organisations of the risks associated with using satellite communications following a cyberattack on satellite internet modems as Russia invaded Ukraine. Western intelligence agencies have been investigating the attack which disrupted broadband satellite internet Read More …

CISA: Strengthening Cybersecurity of SATCOM Network Providers and Customers

CISA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are aware of possible threats to U.S. and international satellite communications (SATCOM) networks. Successful intrusions into SATCOM networks could create additional risk for SATCOM network customer environments. In response, CISA and FBI Read More …

Russian space agency says hacking satellites is an act of war

Russia will consider any cyberattacks targeting Russian satellite infrastructure an act of war, as the country’s space agency director said in a TV interview. Dmitry Rogozin, the current head of the Russian Roscosmos State Space Corporation, added that such attempts Read More …

New Zealand spooks say satellite snooping is obsolete – better intel is found elsewhere

New Zealand’s Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) – the nation’s signals intelligence and infosec agency – will retire its Waihopai satellite communications interception station because it’s no longer needed. “The nature of telecommunications has changed, and other needs and capabilities Read More …

US charges Iranian hackers for breaching US satellite companies

Three Iranian nationals have been indicted on charges of hacking US aerospace and satellite companies, the US Department of Justice announced today. Federal prosecutors accused Said Pourkarim Arabi, Mohammad Reza Espargham, and Mohammad Bayati of orchestrating a years-long hacking campaign Read More …