Elon Musk's Starlink fended off a Russian hack faster than the US Military
Published on Apr 22, 2022 at 10:53 AM (UTC-4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Apr 28, 2022 at 7:00 AM (UTC-4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
A top Pentagon official said Elon Musk’s Starlink has fended off a Russian hack and did it faster than the US Military could have.
Among other things, Elon Musk owns Starlink (through SpaceX), a ‘constellation’ of satellites providing internet access to several countries across the globe.
Musk has made Starlink available in Ukraine to help the population stay online since the start of the ongoing Russian invasion.
READ MORE: Elon Musk fires off eight-word tweet about why Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers
Dave Tremper, director of electronic warfare for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, said “Starlink had slung a line of code and fixed it” and the attack was suddenly “not effective anymore”.
“How they did that was eye-watering to me,” he added.
“There’s a really interesting case study to look at the agility that Starlink had in their ability to address that problem,” said Tremper.
“The way that Starlink was able to upgrade when a threat showed up, we need to be able to have that agility.”
Being a Pentagon official, the details on the actual hack are as non-existent as you would expect.
But what we do know is a few weeks back, the world’s richest man Elon Musk tweeted:
“Some Starlink terminals near conflict areas were being jammed for several hours at a time. Our latest software update bypasses the jamming. Am curious to see what’s next.”
Why is Starlink in Ukraine?
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov took to Twitter and pleaded for Musk to activate SpaceX’s Starlink satellites in Ukraine.
Musk, always a fan of the tweets, tweeted in response: “Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route.”
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
