Oekraïne ontvangt de Starlink-terminals van Elon Musk, en een waarschuwing
Volgens overheidsinformatie zijn de door Tesla-oprichter Elon Musk beloofde Starlink-internetterminals in Oekraïne aangekomen - inclusief een waarschuwing van een Amerikaanse beveiligingsexpert.
"Starlink - gearriveerd. Bedankt @elonmusk", tweette de Oekraïense vice-premier Mykhailo Fedorov, met een foto Oekraïne ontvangt Starlink-internetterminals - en vriendelijke waarschuwing over veiligheid - Reuters News vanaf de achterkant van een militair ogende vrachtwagen geladen met terminals. Musk antwoordt: "Graag gedaan."
You are most welcome
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2022
Senior onderzoeker aan het Citizen Lab-project van de Universiteit van Toronto, John Scott-Railton, waarschuwde op Twitter echter dat de terminals potentiële doelen voor Rusland zouden kunnen worden. "Re: Elon Musk's Starlink-donatie. Goede zet. Maar vergeet niet dat als Poetin het luchtruim boven Oekraïne controleert, de uitzendingen van gebruikers bakens zullen worden voor luchtaanvallen", tweette hij in een serie waarin hij de risico's beschrijft.
2/ #Russia has decades of experience hitting people by targeting their satellite communications.
In 1996, Chechen president Dzhokhar Dudayev was careful, but Russian aircraft reportedly found his satphone call & killed him with a missile strike.https://t.co/lGA2Cg3HiO pic.twitter.com/jdxo931LLq
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) February 27, 2022
4/ In more recent years, other kids of tech has entered the conflict-zone game. Like VSATs.
In Syria, Libya, etc etc. VSATs have played a pivotal role in communications. Everyone uses them.
They have a more *directional* signal & typically provide broadband data. pic.twitter.com/m4FngdRidx
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) February 27, 2022
6/In Syria, ISIS reportedly came up w/ various tactics to avoid being killed by strikes against their satellite internet terminals.
E.g. Distancing dishes from their installations, covertly taking a connection from civilian internet cafes' VSATs, etc..
Deadly cat & mouse.
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) February 27, 2022
8/ I've skipped some tech like BGANs, but why should you take anything I say seriously?
Well: I've researched the role & risks of internet & satellite communications during armed conflicts...for a decade.
I'm writing this thread because I see a familiar mistake looming. Again.
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) February 27, 2022
10/ A well-resourced military tracks a massive variety of radio emissions during a war.
Even if capabilities are not initially specced out for a novel new communications protocol, if the transmission is interesting enough / the users worth killing, it will be worked on...
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) February 27, 2022
12/ Every tech should be considered & evaluated.
But if well-meaning people rush an untested-in-war new tech into an active conflict zone like #Ukraine & promote it as "safer"...
They may get people killed.
Russia has big electronic ears.
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) February 27, 2022
14/ Connectivity in #Ukraine is necessary.
Now that Starlink devices are headed into an active conflict zone, though, *possible* risks are about to get battle tested.
I hope that OPSEC is front of mind as decisions are made about terminal distribution, use & placement,
— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) February 28, 2022