A $25 homemade device was enough for Lennert Wouters to enjoy Starlink service for free. SpaceX’s satellite Internet access offering was particularly easy for this computer security researcher to hack.
During the great cybersecurity mass, the Black Hat, which took place from August 6 to 11 in Los Angeles, Lennert Wouters presented a conference during which he evaluated the security level of Starlink terminals. These devices are provided to subscribers in order to receive satellite Internet from SpaceX.
Invite hackers to try their luck
The company thanked the Sonic group researcher (for Computer Security and Industrial Encryption) at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, in a press release. “We would like to congratulate Lennert Wouters for his investigation into the security of Starlink users’ terminals,” writes SpaceX, which immediately launched a bug hunt for its Starlink service.
The objective is to eliminate the computer failures of the system. And this despite the fact that the engineers are working on it internally. By inviting hackers to try their luck, SpaceX wants to speed up the security of its satellite internet supply offering.
To encourage hackers to participate, the company promised rewards of up to $25,000, depending on the flaw discovered. The different amounts involved are detailed on the BugCrowd site. This participatory security platform allows financial rewards to people who have discovered errors or flaws in websites or companies.
Source: BFM TV
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