Posted on 05/16/2015 5:05:33 PM PDT by Jim Robinson
A well-known U.S. hacker told F.B.I. agents he took momentary control of an airplane’s engines mid-flight by hacking into its inflight entertainment system, according to a document filed in U.S. federal court and obtained by APTN National News.
Roberts, who has been interviewed at least three times by the F.B.I. this year, is under investigation for allegedly hacking into the electronic entertainment systems of airplanes, according to an application for a search warrant to probe seized electronic equipment.
The document shows F.B.I. agents investigating Roberts believe he has the ability to do what he claims: take over flight control systems by hacking the inflight entertainment computer.
Roberts has not yet been charged with any crime. The allegations contained in the search warrant application have not been proven in court.
Roberts is the founder of One World Labs and he is widely viewed as an expert on counter threat cyber security.
F.B.I. agents obtained the search warrant on April 17 to probe a number of electronic items seized from Roberts after he arrived in Syracuse, NY, from Chicago on April 15. Roberts had posted a joke tweet earlier in the day while on a United Airlines flight between Denver and Chicago. The tweet referred to hacking into the airplane’s in-flight entertainment and passenger oxygen mask system.
During two interviews with F.B.I. agents in February and March of this year, Roberts said he hacked the inflight entertainment systems of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, during flights, about 15 to 20 times between 2011 and 2014. In one instance, Roberts told the federal agents he hacked into an airplane’s thrust management computer and momentarily took control of an engine, according to an affidavit attached to the application for a search warrant.
“He stated that he successfully commanded the system he had accessed to issue...
(Excerpt) Read more at aptn.ca ...
I certify airborne software for a living. Yes, I know IMA. I also know partitioning. The boast is crap.
According to the articles I can find, a skid is yaw in a turn caused by applying too much down rudder. It’s the opposite of a slip.
He stated that he thereby caused one of the airplane engines to climb...
Oh, did he now?
The boast is crap.
I agree. It is scary how many folks will believe it, though.
It sure is worth considering!
My understanding is that all entertainment systems are air-gapped from control systems, meaning that there is no physical connection between them. They only share power (if that). If you hack into the entertainment system it gives you no access to the control system.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/hacking-into-a-plane-s-controls-no-easy-feat-1.3042166
Just for fun, here is a video of retrofitting a commercial jet with Wi-Fi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsuvlmDWYuA
I want that pilot if I ever fly again. Been on that landing a couple times before too.
Years ago, from LAX, we flew a Mexican airline into Mexico City, and days later, to a Mexican beach resort.
It was the landing, and the takeoff, in Mexico, that if you weren’t hysterically laughing, you’d be screaming!
Actually, those not laughing or saying ‘wow,’ were too shocked to speak!
Yet we’re here to tell the story!
AND - I think the pilots were well talented with these landings!
That’s a pilot!
Agreed.
Pilot stuck that plane down “on the numbers” despite a severe crosswind. That was a great piece of flying and shows the value of “humans in the cockpit”.
So! That’s what my instructor was trying to tell me!
Crabbing is aligning the airplane with the wind as you approach the runway, rather than aligning it with the runway. When you get to the runway, like that video posted above, you “kick out the crab” and align it with the runway, dropping a wing if necessary to keep from drifting with the wind.
Applying the rudder to help lose airspeed would be slipping.
Who is “Roberts”? I sure miss the 5W’s of journalism.
Absolute load of crap. I work on these systems, and there is no way he did what he claims.
Hang him upside down from an open hatch about 10K up, see if he sticks with his story.
There’s times it’s nice to be older... I remember being able to get to an airport 10 minutes before a plane took off and running to the plane then going up the stairs...
Now that .... that is a cross-wind landing as done by an expert. I would hazard a guess that the pilot is a former Naval flier accustomed to catching the first wire. Not exactly the passenger-comfort-oriented method, but it sure do get the job done.
Unless I misunderstand this story, it sounds like he admitted to a series of felony offenses that will tally up to a couple of decades in federal prison for something that would seem to have been pretty difficult to prove . . . absent his confession. I wonder why?
The person, who wrote this story probably converted crabbing/yawing to flying sideways.
Thanks for posting it.
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