Experts warn airlines of risk of in-flight hacking

A US watchdog agency has highlighted the danger of commercial airliners being hacked by in-flight passengers simply using a plane’s own wireless entertainment system to access its flight controls.

New generation technology in cockpits could be hacked by passengers during flights Image by SWF Photography / CC BY 2.0

The findings by the US Government Accountability Office has identified the vulnerability as a potential cyber-security weakness which authorities must address as the next generation of technology is integrated into airplanes.

The body’s report says that internet connection in the cabin also meant “potential malicious” uses.

Michael Huerta, the Federal Aviation Authority’s (FAA) administrator told a Senate oversight panel that such threats would continue to evolve, according to the Daily Telegraph. Experts in the cyber-security field have already pointed out circumstances in which onboard firewalls, installed to protect flights from hackers, could be breached using the same wiring and routers.