Last week, a security watchdog named Chris Roberts jokingly tweeted about lapse of cyber security on airplanes. Roberts’ tweet was enough for federal government agencies like the FBI and TSA to take notice and warn.
Both these agencies now alert airlines to be on guard against potential tampering of networks and communication systems. They’re even claims that a hacker could electronically take control of a plane right from a pilot. When this claim hasn’t been proven, and while there is no specific, credible threats, authorities are concerned. There’s an alert on the FBI’s InfraGard site advises flight attendants and other flight employees to look for passengers plugging in ports beneath the seats. This alert calls for airline employees to look for passengers removing network port covers, and posting social media messages threatening onboard network systems and air traffic controllers. Also last week, a government reported exposed unsecured connections between passenger Wi-Fi networks and aviation systems. Around this same time, Chris Roberts tweeted a joke about hacking into the system so he could make the oxygen mask could come down. A scathing government report and a scathing public tweet within days from each other…not a positive sign.
First off, don’t follow Roberts’ example! Chris Roberts is a computer security professional, and after his flight arrived in Syracuse, he was met and thoroughly interviewed by the FBI, and they seized his electronics. If you joke about airline security in this matter, you could get the same fate, and even worse. When reports talked about tampering with ports beneath the seats, many probably don’t even know such ports exist. We all know about the ports on the seats for in-flight entertainment. I‘m hoping they didn’t accidentally give hackers a clue by telling them where secret ports are. Lastly, don’t panic! We don’t even know if such threats are possible. In the 21st century, every potential threat should be investigated, so long as it doesn’t trample on our rights or liberties. Can we be hacked at 30,000 feet?