Hacking a Plane with an Android Phone
161Hugo Teso, a security consultant and pilot, had an interesting presentation at the Amsterdam Hack in the Box conference- he showed just easy it was to hack a plane using an Android phone. He created an exploit framework (SIMON) and an Android app (PlaneSploit), then was able to take advantage of unencrypted communication systems on planes - the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS).
From there, he was able to make the plane do a variety of things in his control, using these modes (from net-security.org):
- Please go here: A way of interacting with the plane where the user can dynamically tap locations on the map and change the plane's course.
- Define area: Set detailed filters related to the airplane, for example activate something when a plane is in the area of X kilometers or when it starts flying on a predefined altitude.
- Visit ground: Crash the airplane.
- Kiss off: Remove itself from the system.
- Be punckish: A theatric way of alerting the pilots that something is seriously wrong - lights start flashing and alarms start buzzing.
Even though your plane itself might be safe, there is now proof of how massively unprotected the plane's on board computer is. Through his work, Teso proved how massively insecure and susceptible plane technology is. Some planes are able to be protected...but others may be hopeless.
Read more on Teso's plane hack here:
http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=14733
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TAGS: "plane exploit" "plane hack" "android plane hack" "android plane exploit" "hack in the Box, Hugo Teso, Hugo Teso PlaneSploit, Hugo Teso plane hack, PlaneSploit app, PlaneSploit hack