Connecting the Dots in the Sky: Website Fingerprinting in Low Earth Orbit Satellite Internet

Abstract

Despite the implementation of encrypted channels, such as those offered by anonymity networks like Tor, network adversaries have demonstrated the ability to compromise users’ browsing privacy through website fingerprinting attacks. This paper studies the susceptibility of Tor users to website finger-printing when data is exchanged over low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite Internet links. Specifically, we design an experimental testbed that incorporates a Starlink satellite Internet connection, allowing us to collect a dataset for evaluating the success of website fingerprinting attacks in satellite environments compared to conventional fiber connections. Our findings suggest that Tor traffic transmitted via Starlink is as vulnerable to fingerprinting attacks as traffic over fiber links, despite the distinct networking characteristics of Starlink connections in contrast to fiber.