Israeli Tech Exposes Users of Musk's Starlink Satellite-Based Internet(haaretz.com)
haaretz.com
Israeli Tech Exposes Users of Musk's Starlink Satellite-Based Internet
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2026-05-12/ty-article-magazine/.premium/starlink-users-beware-israeli-tech-can-reveal-your-identity/0000019e-17f1-d618-adde-17f3e27d0000
3 comments
Since it is paywalled, here are some details from the article:
During a live demonstration seen by Haaretz, TargetTeam showcased Stargetz's interactive map, showing terminals across the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf, India, Russia and China. This also included offshore clusters in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, likely ships.
According to the dashboard, the system was monitoring one million terminals, purportedly providing internet at that moment to 5.5 million devices. Of these, around 200,000 terminals were said to had been "deanonymized" – likely meaning identifying details about the devices or users using them were found.
In the demonstration, the firm showed how one account using a Mexican number was in fact operating from Pakistan and frequently traveling to Iran. The system seems to update at six minute intervals and does not claim to offer real-time tracking. The figures could not be independently verified.
Rayzone sells a similar system for monitoring Starlink terminals, marketed as part of a suite of intelligence tools developed by the firm, including a big-data analytics product capable of "deanonymizing" users. Rayzone's sales are overseen by Israel's Defense Ministry.
The systems exposed here mark a shift from a previous era of satellite surveillance. Leaked documents obtained by Haaretz also reveal a previously unreported product built by Verint – the veteran Israeli cyber intelligence firm that was traded on Nasdaq until recently – codenamed "Starsky."
Marketed to India in 2016, Starsky intercepted traditional satellite phone communications by physically tapping the lines that connected the satellite beams to the target country's physical telephone infrastructure.
Both firms emphasize that their capability rests on fusing together massive collections of data of different types and scales rather than exploiting any vulnerability in Starlink. These likely range from mobile communication data to digital traces left during online browsing or by logging on to social media from a smartphone using Starlink for access. "It's not one source, it's not one sensor – it's connecting many layers of information and big data," a salesman told potential clients.
Though neither company explained how their tech works, it is telling that both also develop and sell advertising-based intelligence, or Ad-INT – a technique that harvests location and device data from the digital advertising ecosystem, first exposed by Haaretz two years ago.
The implication is that unique advertising identifiers – the codes Apple and Google assign every user in order to serve personalized ads – play a central role in tracking Starlink users and in exposing their identities.
During a live demonstration seen by Haaretz, TargetTeam showcased Stargetz's interactive map, showing terminals across the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf, India, Russia and China. This also included offshore clusters in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, likely ships.
According to the dashboard, the system was monitoring one million terminals, purportedly providing internet at that moment to 5.5 million devices. Of these, around 200,000 terminals were said to had been "deanonymized" – likely meaning identifying details about the devices or users using them were found.
In the demonstration, the firm showed how one account using a Mexican number was in fact operating from Pakistan and frequently traveling to Iran. The system seems to update at six minute intervals and does not claim to offer real-time tracking. The figures could not be independently verified.
Rayzone sells a similar system for monitoring Starlink terminals, marketed as part of a suite of intelligence tools developed by the firm, including a big-data analytics product capable of "deanonymizing" users. Rayzone's sales are overseen by Israel's Defense Ministry.
The systems exposed here mark a shift from a previous era of satellite surveillance. Leaked documents obtained by Haaretz also reveal a previously unreported product built by Verint – the veteran Israeli cyber intelligence firm that was traded on Nasdaq until recently – codenamed "Starsky."
Marketed to India in 2016, Starsky intercepted traditional satellite phone communications by physically tapping the lines that connected the satellite beams to the target country's physical telephone infrastructure.
Both firms emphasize that their capability rests on fusing together massive collections of data of different types and scales rather than exploiting any vulnerability in Starlink. These likely range from mobile communication data to digital traces left during online browsing or by logging on to social media from a smartphone using Starlink for access. "It's not one source, it's not one sensor – it's connecting many layers of information and big data," a salesman told potential clients.
Though neither company explained how their tech works, it is telling that both also develop and sell advertising-based intelligence, or Ad-INT – a technique that harvests location and device data from the digital advertising ecosystem, first exposed by Haaretz two years ago.
The implication is that unique advertising identifiers – the codes Apple and Google assign every user in order to serve personalized ads – play a central role in tracking Starlink users and in exposing their identities.
But nevertheless:
> Both firms emphasize that their capability rests on fusing together massive collections of data of different types and scales rather than exploiting any vulnerability in Starlink.
So this is a data collection agency that tracks starlink receivers on statistical data. I could imagine they can estimate starlink terminals and see who is using starlink to connect to the internet, but not to pinpoint the location of a terminal.
Just as anyone else can figure out my ISP if they wish to do that.
I've checked the article. It's written by a credible creator who has not been caught in a lot of BS. At the same time the article is quite wordy and states that the software does not track the terminals. It can't.
I can bet the math on this project is beautiful.