Posted on June 30, 2023 at 9:22 PM

Cyberattackers Take Down A Satellite Communication System Used By The Russian Military

Cyberattackers have taken down a satellite communication system used by the Russian military. The system was taken offline through a cyberattack that happened on Wednesday this week. The satellite also remained down on Wednesday, in an exploit that has highlighted the role that hacking attacks are playing in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Russian military satellite taken offline in a cyberattack

The recent cyberattack has reminisced a similar strategy used by Ukraine at the time that the Russian invasion of Ukraine started. Dozor-Teleport, which is the operator of this satellite system, switched some users to the terrestrial networks at the time the outage was happening.

The incident was confirmed by JD Work, who is a cyberspace professor at the National Defense University. Another analyst said that one of the networks running on the affected satellite system was taken over by the parent company of Dozor, Amtel-Svyaz. Three other networks remained offline.

The company has not released a statement on what could have gone wrong in these hacking attacks. At least two hacker groups have claimed responsibility for the exploit. One of these groups claims to be a hacktivist entity. The Wagner Group has also claimed to be behind the attack.

The Wagner Group mercenaries marched to Moscow last week before a deal was negotiated between the leader of the group and the Russian President. The hackers behind the exploit on the satellite system claim that they deployed malicious software on the satellite terminals. The action led to cybersecurity researchers looking for ways to secure a germinal to run tests.

Several hacktivist groups have launched cyberattacks targeting Russia and Ukraine since the war started. Moreover, the claim that the attack was conducted by the Wagner Group might be false, intended to create more division in Russia and take advantage of the recent mutiny. 

However, if the claims are real, it could create more divisions across Russia. The satellite division that was targeted in this hacking campaign is believed to have around $10 million worth of annual revenue. The satellite company serves the Russian military and other federal departments.

The satellite system is also used by Russian soldiers based in Ukraine. The effect of the shutdown in this satellite system will depend on the duration in which it remains offline. The impact might be massive if the customers did not have another way of communicating reliably and securely.

Satellite communications are usually used as a backup in cases where military units that are on the move find it essential to use such systems. Therefore, it is doubtful if the hacking attack crippled the Russian military sections that depended on the system. The only major effect could have happened if customers depended solely on the satellite system for connectivity.

Hacking Exploits in the Russia and Ukraine Conflict

Hacking campaigns on satellite services are rare, and in most instances, they are rarely disclosed. The recent hacking attack on the Russian satellite system mirrors a similar attack that targeted the Viasat service at the onset of the war.

The attack on the Viasat system happened in February last year. The attack has been ranked as one of the most successful hacking campaigns since the war started. Since the exploit, Ukraine has been relying heavily on the Starlink service by SpaceX, which has since been used as an alternative. The Starlink systems in Ukraine have been targeted by several hacking campaigns, but they have not been infiltrated.

The attack on the Viasat satellite system last year was attributed to experts within the Russian military intelligence division known as the GRU. At the time when the attack was happening, the Wagner Group worked closely with the Russian military to launch attacks, including cyberspace attacks, against Ukraine.

As such, the group might have the techniques needed to take down satellite systems in a similar way as the Viasat hack. However, the group’s leader has yet to release an official statement claiming to be behind the attack. The reports claiming responsibility have also not been verified.

The US has also not confirmed the hacking group that is behind this hacking campaign. As aforementioned, hacktivist groups have played a major role in the Russia-Ukraine war. The pro-Russian hacker group known as Killnet has launched a wide range of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against Ukraine and its Western allies.

Pro-Ukraine hacker groups have also been launching hacking attacks. Recently, a mysterious hacker stole crypto assets belonging to Russian agencies and sent the funds to Ukraine.