Topic: Hacker hacks into commercial flight

[Libertas]

http://www.wired.com/2015/05/feds-say-banned-researcher-commandeered-plane/

Swell.

Another reason I feel good about not flying.

Let's cut to the chase, is there anything not vulnerable to meddling?

[AlanS]

He obtained physical access to the networks through the Seat Electronic Box, or SEB. These are installed two to a row, on each side of the aisle under passenger seats, on certain planes. After removing the cover to the SEB by “wiggling and Squeezing the box,” Roberts told agents he attached a Cat6 ethernet cable, with a modified connector, to the box and to his laptop and then used default IDs and passwords to gain access to the inflight entertainment system. Once on that network, he was able to gain access to other systems on the planes.

That sounds waaaay too easy.

[Libertas]

Yeah.  Sounds like lax ID and password security too.

[BigAlSouth]

I call B.S. on this whole thing. Why? He reportedly told the FBI he was able to make the plane fly "sideways."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3084856/Security-researcher-admits-FBI-hacked-commercial-airline-s-entertainment-took-control-plane-making-climb-fly-sideways.html

Yes, I understand "pitch" and "yawl", but sideways?

[Glock32]

I thought the entertainment system was completely segregated from the avionics systems.

[Libertas]

It is hard to tell if this is bad/ ignorant language, if one engine is powered more on one side versus another and no counteracting controls employed there would be a flat turn which if not quickly corrected could lead to a fatal instability I would think and be more of a skid than a lateral motion.  There needs to be more a more authoritative explanation of what really happened here that is for certain.  Is this an idle baseless boast or did something (what?) happen?

[warpmine]

Yeah.  Sounds like lax ID and password security too.

Pass code was the same as some one's luggage combination.

[AlanS]

I call B.S. on this whole thing. Why? He reportedly told the FBI he was able to make the plane fly "sideways."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3084856/Security-researcher-admits-FBI-hacked-commercial-airline-s-entertainment-took-control-plane-making-climb-fly-sideways.html

Yes, I understand "pitch" and "yawl", but sideways?

I don't think he meant actually "sideways". Anyone with any kind of aviation training knows that's impossible for a fixed wing aircraft. And I doubt if he actually knew what he's talking about.

[Libertas]

Yeah.  Sounds like lax ID and password security too.

Pass code was the same as some one's luggage combination.

Doh!