A US Homeland Security team managed to remotely hack a Boeing 757 aircraft without the airline or pilots knowing.
In a ‘controlled experiment’ a team of experts working with the Department for Homeland Security (DHS) undertook a controlled hacking of the jet at Atlantic City a year ago.
Robert Hickey, aviation programme manager at the DHS Cyber Security Division revealed it exploited the plane’s wireless communications to access its internal network.
It came to light during Hickey’s keynote speech at the CyberSat Summit last week, saying it took the team just two days to develop a strategy for the hack.
"We got the airplane on September 19, 2016. Two days later, I was successful in accomplishing a remote, non-cooperative penetration," he said.
"Which means I didn’t have anybody touching the airplane.
"I didn’t have an insider threat. I stood off using typical stuff that could get through security and we were able to establish a presence on the systems of the aircraft."
Exactly how it was carried out remains classified.
The Boeing 757 is no longer in production but is still widely used by US airlines.
Hickey notes newer models like the Boeing 737 MAX or Airbus’s new A350 have stronger internal security systems.
