Android Tech Can Hack a Plane

So if you were already afraid to fly here’s a new reason to take the bus instead. The technology on your Android smartphone can actually give you the ability to hack a plane and even control it while it’s in the air. According to Teso Hugo while speaking at the Hack In The Box Security Conference, it is possible to develop applications that would be able to control just about everything about a plane; all while in the comfort of your economy seat.

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By using existing technology for information discovery and a simple application he’s developed called ‘PlaneSploit’, Teso demonstrated how he could send messages to the plane’s Flight Management Systems and essentially do anything he wanted with a plane. With his Android smartphone he could send false messages to the planes computers causing real havoc on a plane in flight. This Android technology could also enable a user to view all of the same weather, traffic, and flight information not only on the plane the user was in but also that of any plane in the area.

This hacking technology would also enable a passenger with malicious intent to change the plane’s destination, control all of the aircraft’s lighting (both inside and outside), and even if the user chose to they could also cause the plane to crash. Fortunately Teso Hugo is cooperating with airlines to prevent someone from actually using an Android smartphone to attack a plane like this, and he’s not releasing his application ‘PlaneSploit’ to your average user.

Thankfully Teso Hugo is one of the good guys when it comes to airline and Android security, but just imagine if the guy in the seat next to you decided mid-flight that he wanted to go to the Maui instead of Kansas City.

Ladies and Gentlemen we are about to begin our in-flight safety demonstration; first thing’s first turn off that Android smartphone and stow it in the overhead bins.

Source – Gizmodo