The Scourge of the Satellite Modems

Chronicle

On 24 February 2022, at about 03:02 UTC, the hour Russia invaded Ukraine, attackers bricked tens of thousands of KA-SAT satellite modems across Europe with the AcidRain wiper. The attack disrupted Ukrainian communications in the very first hours of the war, but also struck far away: in Germany remote monitoring of about 5,800 Enercon wind turbines was lost. The EU, the US and the UK attributed it to Russia.

Lesson learned

It showed that cyberattacks now accompany military ones, and that a blow to a communications provider can overwhelm users and industries in other countries.

Prayer of reparation

O AcidRain, who fell on the modems of half of Europe, spare our devices and leave free the communications of those who need them most. Amen.

How it is remembered

Remembered by protecting the management systems of communications networks, keeping backup channels ready and asking which satellite your wind turbines depend on.

Technical record

As Russia invaded Ukraine, attackers bricked tens of thousands of KA-SAT satellite modems across Europe using the AcidRain wiper. The attack disrupted Ukrainian communications and cut remote monitoring of about 5,800 Enercon wind turbines in Germany. The EU, US and UK attributed it to Russia.