Satellite Networks Under Siege: Cybersecurity Challenges of Targeted DDoS
Roee Idan
DEF CON 33 · Day 1 · Main Stage
In an increasingly interconnected world, **Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite networks** like Starlink, OneWeb, and Kuiper are becoming indispensable. They bridge connectivity gaps in remote areas, provide critical backup for national infrastructure, and offer resilient communication during disasters and conflicts. However, this growing reliance also exposes them to significant cyber threats. Roee Idan, a PhD student at Mangoran University and part of the CBG Cyber Bengalon research lab, presented a groundbreaking framework at DEF CON designed to plan and optimize **targeted Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks** on these vital satellite networks.
AI review
Legitimate academic research on a genuinely important target — LEO constellation link flooding is underexplored and the timing is right given Starlink's role in active conflicts. The Hydra framework is a real contribution: quantifying botnet minimums, modeling topology across time snapshots, and generating geographic hotspot heatmaps is solid work. But it reads like a polished dissertation chapter, not a DEF CON talk, and the demo died on stage.