China-Singapore security team claims breakthrough in hacking Starlink terminals

A cybersecurity team based in Singapore and Shanghai has claimed a significant breakthrough in researching Starlink terminals. The Darknavy institute announced they successfully compromised the latest user terminals, gaining full administrative control over the devices. This achievement, detailed in a social media post, allows the researchers to run custom code on the terminals, opening up new avenues for security studies of the Starlink satellite system.

Starlink, SpaceX’s internet service via low-Earth orbit satellites, connects user terminals to satellites that relay data to the wider internet. The terminals act as both an antenna and a router, making them critical nodes for direct communication. Until now, the terminals' security had not been breached due to the lack of a viable hacking method.

In 2022, researchers had managed to hack first-generation Starlink antennas using voltage fault injection, but SpaceX subsequently added defenses to newer models. Darknavy acquired a Starlink Standard Actuated terminal in Singapore and began analyzing its firmware, noting, "Developers and hackers contend not only in the digital realm but also against the constraints of cosmic physics."

With this latest success, the researchers now aim to legally explore the interaction between Starlink satellites and ground equipment, simulating, injecting, intercepting, and analyzing communication protocols to uncover vulnerabilities across the entire satellite network.