The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have released a warning to satellite communications network providers, advising them to increase their security According to the advisory, the two agencies became aware of possible threats to satellite communication networks in the US and abroad. The agencies stated that successful intrusions could create risks for network customer environments. SATCOM operators and their customers have been advised to take mitigation actions following a major outage affecting Viasat’s internet service that provides fixed broadband to customers in Ukraine and elsewhere.
The Viasat outage started on February 28, coinciding with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On the same day, German energy firm Enercon reported that remote communications to 5,800 wind turbines was down due to a satellite outage. Therefore, the outages can have significant and widespread affects on companies and customers alike. Foreign security agencies are currently investigating the satellite access attack to determine the source of the issue. For US SATCOMs, the agencies recommend that operators review the security of communications t and from end-user terminals and the capabilities of Russia’s anti-satellite technologies.
Read More: FBI and CISA warn over threats to satellite communications networks
