Amid Russia-Ukraine war, Elon Musk says 'hackers tried to hack Starlink internet system'

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Tesla chief Elon Musk said on Friday that since the start of the war in Ukraine, hackers have tried to hack into the global internet system. Musk said that his satellite internet constellation has resisted all the hacking and jamming attacks.

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, took to Twitter to address the hacking attacks on Starlink. Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by Musk's SpaceX that provides satellite internet access coverage to several countries on Earth. Musk's Starlink internet system aims to extend internet coverage to the whole world.

Elon Musk tweeted, "Starlink, at least so far, has resisted all hacking and jamming attempts."

His tweet was a reply to the report from the Washington Post that stated satellite modems had been hacked last month. The report also said the Russian military spy service, the GRU, was behind the hacking attack that affected the Ukrainian military’s communications at the beginning of Russia's incursion into the country.

Even US President Biden has warned about the cyberattacks from Russia. "I have previously warned about the potential that Russia could conduct malicious cyber activity against the United States, including as a response to the unprecedented economic costs we’ve imposed on Russia alongside our allies and partners," President Biden said in a statement.

‘High’ probability of being targeted

Elon Musk in his earlier tweet has already informed about the possible attacks on his Starlink satellite constellation. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk has warned that the company's Starlink satellite broadband service has the possibility of being targeted in Ukraine in the midst of Russia's invasion.

Taking to Twitter, Musk stated that since Starlink is the only non-Russian communications system still operational in some sections of Ukraine, there is a ‘high’ probability of it being targeted. He further urged everyone to utilise it with caution.

He said that users should only use Starlink when absolutely necessary, the tech mogul advised and asked to keep the antenna as far away from other individuals as possible. He also proposed covering the antenna with light camouflage to "avoid visual detection."

Furthermore, Elon Musk sent a truckload of Starlink antennas to Ukraine earlier this month, that could be used to connect and communicate using the company's satellite-based internet service. This decision was taken in response to a request from the nation's Vice Prime Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who expressed concern that Ukrainians might end up losing internet connectivity if Russia's strikes on communication infrastructure continue, CNN reported. 

Starlink is a network of around 2,000 low-earth-orbit satellites that link to user terminals on the ground to deliver high-speed broadband internet. As per internet watchdog NetBlocks, Ukraine witnessed frequent internet interruptions last week as Russian soldiers attacked from the north, south, and east. Moreover, Russian hackers have also targeted Ukraine's government and crucial infrastructure with cyberattacks.