Researchers Welcome To Hack Starlink, says Elon Musk's SpaceX

Researchers are welcome to hack Starlink, where they can earn up to $25,000 for uncovering network flaws, claimed SpaceX,  an aerospace company of world's richest person and Tesla owner Elon Musk.
 

As per SpaceX, responsible researchers are welcome to break into Starlink, their satellite internet network. It further stated that it would pay them up to $25,000 for finding certain service issues. The announcement came after security researcher Lennert Wouters claimed last week that he had used a $25 home-made device to hack into Starlink. He said that he carried out the test as a part of SpaceX's bug bounty programme, in which researchers can report any possible weaknesses they discover in the Starlink network.

SpaceX praised Wouters' work in a six-page paper titled "Starlink invites security researchers (bring on the flaws)." In the statement, SpaceX stated that it "allows responsible security researchers to conduct their own testing and provides financial prizes when they uncover and disclose vulnerabilities."

Researchers that run non-disruptive tests on Starlink, report their findings, and find vulnerabilities within scope can receive rewards between $100 to $25,000, according to SpaceX's bug bounty website. The website provides a list of 32 researchers who, according to SpaceX, discovered significant security flaws in Starlink. The average compensation over the previous three months, it is also stated, was $973.

According to sources, some of the discoveries that are deemed outside of scope include testing that interferes with users' use of the service, physical assaults on significant infrastructure, and email spoofing.