Targeting of Viasat's satellite broadband service
Date of report
  • March 2022
Affiliations
  • Believed to be the work of Russia's government
The Russian military intelligence agency, known as GRU, targeted the internet provider Viasat’s satellite modems with a wiper that caused widespread communication outages throughout Ukraine on February 24, the same day Russian forces invaded the country.  The attack caused a loss in military communications at the start of the war and affected other government services. The outage also affected thousands of Viasat customers across Eastern and Central Europe. 
Suspected victims
  • Users of Viasat's satellite broadband service in Eastern and Central Europe
Suspected state sponsor
  • Russian Federation
Type of incident
  • Sabotage
Target category
  • Government
  • Private sector
  • Military
Victim government reaction
  • Yes