The US government advised satellite operators to prepare for cyber warfare

The US Department of Homeland Security strongly advises all commercial satellite operators to put their guard up on improving electronic security. The attacks on the Viasat network, which occurred back in February, have all the signs of cyber warfare.

The Viasat satellite, disturbing the US government. Source: Wikipedia

US government urges to prepare for cyber warfare

The U.S. government on March 17 advised commercial satellite operators to pay full attention to the fight against attempts to hack their systems. The reason for this was the February attack on Viasat satellites. It can be a sign of large-scale cyber warfare. 

The alarm was sounded by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of the US Department of Homeland Security. This organization reports that due to the Ukrainian-Russian war, which may at any moment escalate into a more global conflict, it increases vigilance about the slightest signs of cyber attacks.

In response to this appeal, the Satellite Industry Association stated that now network security is becoming its main task. As you know, any network is only as strong as its weakest link. To date, no one has suspected that these could be satellites in global telecommunications systems. 

There are many ways to disable a satellite. Here we can trace the hacking by electronic means, and the use of signal jamming from the Earth, and simply the use of anti-satellite weapons. It is almost impossible to protect yourself from everything. But engineers are already trying to eliminate most of the possible threats.

Hackers Attacked Viasat Satellite

The investigation into the attack on the Viasat satellites is still ongoing. French, American and Ukrainian security services are taking part there. Russian hackers are considered the main suspects. Since the attacks directly targeted modems, the company is resuming over-the-air connectivity for some customers and providing new communication devices for others. 

According to the company, the attackers have not managed to penetrate the network completely. Consequently, the customer data was not compromised. Viasat is actively cooperating with the US Department of Defense to create hybrid networks that will expand the functionality of both civilian and military components.

According to spacenews.com