Viasat satellite hack knocks thousands of people offline

Since 2011, the KA-SAT satellite has helped homeowners, businesses, and militaries across Europe get online. However, as Russian troops moved into Ukraine during the early hours of February 24, satellite internet connections were disrupted. A mysterious cyberattack against the Viasat-owned satellite’s ground infrastructure—not the satellite itself—plunged tens of thousands of people into internet darkness. Almost a month after the attack, the disruptions continue. Thousands still remain offline in Europe and companies are racing to replace broken modems or fix connections with updates. Multiple intelligence agencies, including those in the US and Europe, are also investigating the attack. The Viasat hack is arguably the largest publicly known cyberattack to take place since Russia invaded Ukraine, and it stands out for its impact beyond Ukraine’s borders. But questions about the details of the attack, its purpose, and who carried it out remain—although experts have their suspicions. Satellite internet connections are often used in areas with low cable coverage, and they are used by everyday citizens as well as official organizations. The setup is different from your typical home or office Wi-Fi network, which mostly rely on wired broadband connections. The attack against the network was a “deliberate, isolated, and external cyber event,” according to Viasat spokesperson Chris Phillips. The attack only impacted fixed broadband customers and didn’t cause disruption to airlines or Viasat’s US government clients, the company says, and no customer data was impacted. However, people’s modems have not been able to connect to the network, and they have been “rendered unusable.”