The FBI has come out and stated that there is no credible evidence that hacker Chris Roberts was able to hack a plane through its entertainment system. Despite this, an investigation is ongoing.
The claims were first made by Roberts himself, who said that he was able to even send commands to engines through the entertainment system on newer planes, which have more interconnections between different systems than older planes do.
"From what all the aircraft manufacturers have been telling us, the in-flight entertainment system is a different system from the software that controls the avionics, flight controls and navigation systems of the plane," said Jeffrey Price, an aviation security expert at Metropolitan State University in Denver.
Roberts, the founder of One World Labs, said that he was able to exploit these interconnections between 15 and 20 times, despite the fact that investigators suggest that this kind of hack would not be possible. Roberts was detained at the airport in Syracuse, N.Y., after making public claims on Twitter that suggested he might start "playing" with the computer system on a flight. In questioning, according to the FBI report, Roberts bragged that he was able to hack into more sensitive systems on the plane, even causing one engine to thrust, causing the plane to turn.
Despite the FBI's reports, Roberts himself suggests that the part about causing an engine to thrust is inaccurate, saying that while he was able to hack into the system, he didn't really do anything beyond monitoring traffic and exploring the network a little — claims that are a lot less scary than those made by the FBI.
Boeing itself has issued statements related to the claims, saying that while some entertainment systems on planes receive data from other computer systems, entertainment computers are isolated from more critical plane electronics.
"Airbus has robust systems and procedures in place for our aircraft and their operations to ensure security against potential cyberattacks," said Mary Anne Greczyn, a spokesperson for France-based Airbus.
While Roberts is respected in the security industry, most experts agree that it is unlikely that he was able to access critical flight systems through the entertainment system, saying that it is very unlikely that these systems were not isolated.
Of course, Roberts has yet to be charged with any crimes, but hacking into a plane is a federal offense. He says that he never connected his laptop to the Seat Electronics Box on the flight in question, despite the fact that the SEB under the seat where Roberts was seated shows signs of tampering.
