UK And US Warn Of Satellite Communications Risks After Ukraine Hack

LONDON, March 18 – The United Kingdom and the United States have warned organizations about the risks associated with the use of satellite communications following a cyberattack on satellite Internet modems when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Western intelligence agencies are investigating an attack that disrupted broadband satellite Internet access provided by US telecommunications company Viasat, Reuters reported last week. More

“This is certainly something we are investigating quite actively – more than actually,” a British official told reporters on Friday. “We have spoken extensively to UK organizations to give them an idea of how we can advise them on this matter.”

Unidentified hackers disabled tens of thousands of modems that communicate with Viasat Inc.’s KA-SAT satellite, which provides Internet to some customers in Europe, including Ukraine.

Late Thursday, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a joint statement warning of “potential threats to US and international satellite communications (SATCOM) networks.” attack.

The statement said that providers and customers of SATCOM networks should increase their security and report any malicious activity, given the “current geopolitical situation.”

Reuters reported that French government cybersecurity organization ANSSI and Ukrainian intelligence are evaluating whether the remote sabotage was the work of Russian-backed hackers who were preparing the battlefield in an attempt to sever communications.

Russian troops suffered heavy casualties as they blew up residential areas in Ukraine, causing more than 3 million refugees to flee. Moscow denies targeting civilians in a so-called “special operation” to disarm its neighbour. More

The satellite service’s digital attack began on February 24 from 5 to 9 am, the day Russian forces launched their invasion.

“If this was ultimately attributed to Russia, it would be very in line with what we expect from them, which is to use their cyber capabilities to support, ultimately, their military campaign,” the British official said.

E£iting by Nick McPhee

Our Standards: Trust Principles.