Hacker claims he can remotely hijack airplane with android app (TSA sad face)

[aGameOfThrones]

Hugo Teso, a security consultant who also happens to be a trained commercial pilot, says he's developed an Android app that can make an airliner "dance to his tune" by attacking its flight management systems. The hack was demoed at this year's Hack In The Box conference in Amsterdam, where Teso showed how the app -- called PlaneSploit -- can seek out targets from the ground by infiltrating radio broadcasts between aircraft and air traffic control, and then use a second communication system to send malicious messages to that could "take full control of the plane" or indirectly affect the pilot's behavior. PlaneSploit is proof-of-concept software, designed to work in a closed virtual environment, so it's not like we're going to see it pop up on Google Play any time soon, but just the fact it exists will hopefully help to keep the puppet masters out of real-world planes. And no, there's no Windows Phone version.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/11/planesploit-aircraft-hijacking-app/

[tangent4ronpaul]

OBL smacks his forehead and says - I could of saved a bunch of money and jihadists by using an android app!

here is another story on it:
http://mashable.com/2013/04/11/hacker-hijack-plane-android-app/

What's interesting is that everyone from the FAA to avionics equipment manufactures are saying "oh no, couldn't happen because there are safeguards on the real equipment and the pilot could override anything they did".

Contrast that with what they were saying after 9/11 "we need to install these systems that the mil developed and started using in 2000 where ground control can take over control of an aircraft, you know in case the pilot has a heart attack, passes out from g-forces, has a oxygen malfunction or the plane gets hijacked..."

hmmm...

Remember that drone the Iranians hijacked? Or the one researchers took control of a while back?

30,000 drones over the US... I can sooo see toolkits being put together to hijack them and fly them into things - mini-9/11 style... police cars, police stations, federal office buildings, electrical substations...

Woo Hoo! - let the hacking wars begin! And the fuds are buying the ammo!

-t

[jkob]

we need background checks for smart phones

[phill4paul]

Operation Northwoods. R.C. has been around for a while. Even when I was an air controller in '85 the Navy planes could guide in and land if the pilot was disabled. Wasn't the best scenario but the planes were capable. 20 and 30 year advance? ...................