Even as the U.S. questioned a computer researcher's claims of tampering with a jetliner in flight, his account spotlighted possible cybersecurity risks in commercial aviation.
The consultant told the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he hacked into in-flight networks more than a dozen times using onboard entertainment systems, Wired magazine reported over the weekend. While a U.S. official said that lacked credibility, the article drew attention to a U.S. report last month about digital threats to airliners.
Government officials flagged potential vulnerabilities in the pending U.S. shift to satellite-based air traffic control from current ground-based systems. They said there is a theoretical risk that an unauthorized person could gain access to sensitive aircraft systems, even though the computers running the controls are kept separate from in-flight entertainment technology.