Trending:US-Isarel-Iran warT20 World CupDubai-Abu Dhabi updatesAir travel chaosLunar eclipseYoung Sherlock reviewadvertisementHow Iran’s Handala hackers are using Elon Musk’s Starlink for cyberattacks amid internet blackoutFP Tech Desk • March 3, 2026, 14:12:19 ISTWhatsapp Facebook TwitteradvertisementIranian hacker group Handala is using Elon Musk’s Starlink network, an American-made satellite system, to carry out cyber operations against the West, even as the technology remains banned in Iran. AdvertisementSubscribe Join Us+ Follow us On GoogleOver the past two days, an Iranian hacker collective known as Handala has taken to X (formerly ) to issue threats of large-scale cyberattacks against the United States and its allies, vowing retaliation for the recent US and Israeli missile strikes. But in a striking twist, the group appears to be depending on American technology, specifically Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network, to stay online and communicate with followers. According to a new analysis by Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point, the group has been operating through Starlink connections since mid-January, when Iran’s government imposed a nationwide internet shutdown amid fears of foreign cyber intrusions. Gil Messing, Check Point’s chief of staff, told Forbes that the company’s data confirmed Handala was still using Starlink as recently as February 28, the day of the missile strikes, and he believes the group continues to access the service now. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADStarlink, owned by SpaceX, is not officially authorised in Iran, where access to global internet networks is heavily restricted. However, Check Point’s findings suggest that the hacker group has managed to bypass national blocks, possibly by using smuggled satellite terminals, enabling them to stay connected even when state-controlled networks were taken offline. More from Tech Claude down: Anthropic’s chatbot outage impacting thousands of users on mobile and web Planning to quit ChatGPT?
