Over the past two days, an Iranian hacker collective known as Handala has taken to X (formerly Twitter) 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.
Starlink, 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.
Iran–Starlink deal: Free access amid blackout
Reports indicate that SpaceX began offering free Starlink access in Iran in January 2026, during a wave of violent anti-government protests and one of the country’s most severe internet blackouts in years. The decision to waive subscription fees was reportedly part of a humanitarian initiative to help Iranians stay connected with the outside world despite censorship and state-imposed shutdowns.
According to Ahmad Ahmadian, executive director of the US-based organisation Holistic Resilience, which helps Iranians maintain secure communication, SpaceX has waived all subscription fees, allowing anyone with a Starlink receiver to connect without payment. The news was also confirmed by Bloomberg, which reported that many Iranians were using Starlink to broadcast information about the unrest and government response.
Residents speaking to BBC Persian corroborated these claims, saying their Starlink devices were still operating even though they had not paid recent subscription fees.
The system has since become a digital lifeline for tens of thousands of Iranians. Despite being illegal under Iranian law, Starlink provides one of the last remaining open channels for communication with the outside world. With the country’s conventional internet infrastructure frequently throttled or shut down, the satellite network has emerged as a crucial tool for activists, journalists, and citizens seeking to bypass censorship.
What is Starlink, and how does it work
Starlink is a satellite-based broadband service operated by Starlink Services, a subsidiary of SpaceX, the American aerospace company founded by Elon Musk. It currently provides high-speed internet across over 130 countries, with ambitions to extend global mobile coverage in the coming years.
The system functions using a constellation of thousands of small satellites orbiting in low Earth orbit (LEO) at altitudes of roughly 540 to 570 kilometres. This configuration allows Starlink to deliver faster speeds and lower latency than traditional satellite systems. Users connect via a small dish antenna that tracks overhead satellites using advanced phased-array technology.
When users send or receive data, the signal travels from the dish to the nearest satellite and then to one of Starlink’s ground-based gateway stations, which link to the broader internet. This setup enables low-latency connections of about 20–40 milliseconds and download speeds of 50-150 Mbps, rivaling conventional fibre broadband.
As SpaceX continues to expand its satellite network, Starlink is rapidly becoming a vital communications system for remote and politically unstable regions. However, its growing role in conflict zones, such as Iran and Ukraine, has also raised complex questions about how privately controlled technology shapes global security and freedom of information.
