No, Viasat is not a Russian company. Viasat is an American communications company founded in 1986 and based in Carlsbad, CA. It is listed with NASDAQ as VSAT. Viasat owns and operates satellite internet systems that serve military and commercial markets in the U.S. and in Europe. Viasat is owned by Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT), Sony Pictures Television in Hungary, and Viasat World Ltd.

Viasat provides military communications equipment, high-speed satellite modems, multifunctional information distribution systems (MIDS), tactical data links, mobile satcom, antenna systems and secure networking systems. It is a leading satellite internet provider for rural and remote customers in the U.S. including Hawaii and Alaska. Viasat also provides satellite internet access in parts of Canada, Mexico and South America. Viasat also provides maritime satellite communication services. Viasat has business relationships with several global partners

In February 2022 Viasat was the victim of a malware injection in routers and modems at ground stations in Europe that stopped satellite internet services to approximately 25,000 customers in the Czech Republic, Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Culprits of the malware attack have not been identified publicly but the hack is being evaluated in the context of the war Russia launched in 2021 to annex Ukraine by military force.

The attack didn’t impact the satellites in orbit, gateways, or critical networking infrastructure. It injected malware into ground-station routers and modems. The initial indications that something was wrong included when approximately 5,800 wind turbines owned by the German energy company Enercon went offline. Being offline won’t stop the turbines from spinning but if and when they need to be reset it can’t be done remotely. Viasat had acquired the KA-SAT in Europe in 2021 and is still integrating operations and so while this attack ideally ought to be preventable the vulnerabilities during the transition period meant it was possible to inject malware to ground stations. Such attacks are quite nasty as they wipe out all the data on the modems and routers. When that happens there is a reboot which then permanently disables the equipment.

Another common misperception about Viasat is related to DISH Network LLC. Viasat is not owned by DISH. It is an authorized dealer of DISH packages and services. Viasat and DISH logos may appear on combined offers but each company is a separate entity unto itself. Viasat has an agreement with DISH to market and to offer DISH Network TV and streaming services to its customers. DISH also markets its own satellite internet service using its own unique equipment.