Aircraft Can Be Successfully Hacked In-Flight

IOActive researcher will demonstrate at Black Hat USA (4th-9th August Ls Vegas) how satellite equipment can be 'weaponised.'

It's been four years since researcher Ruben Santamarta rocked the security world with his chilling discovery of major vulnerabilities in satellite equipment that could be abused to hijack and disrupt communications links to airplanes, ships, military operations, and industrial facilities.

Santamarta has now proven out those findings and taken his research to the level of terrifying, by successfully hacking into in-flight airplane WiFi networks and Satcom equipment from the ground. 

"As far as I know I will be the first researcher that will demonstrate that it's possible to hack into communications devices on an in-flight aircraft … from the ground," he says.

He accessed on-board WiFi networks including passengers' Internet activity, and also was able to reach the planes' Satcom equipment, he says, all of which in his previous research he had concluded, but not proven, was possible.  Furthermore: "In this new research, we also managed to get access to important communications devices in the aircraft," Santamarta, principal security consultant with IO/Active, says.

That's as much detail about the hack that Santamarta will share publicly before his Black Hat talk, where he plans to demonstrate just how he gained access to the aircraft and on-board satellite communications devices. He'll show how Satcom gear could be weaponised as a radio frequency (RF) tool, he says, that ultimately could "pose security risks" to the aircraft.
Santamarta's previous work on hacking an airplane network had been met with some skepticism. "Everybody told us it was impossible. But basically, it's possible, and we [now] have proof and [will] present the proof of that."

He says he used similar Satcom hacking techniques to locate multiple NATO military installations in conflict zones, which were exposed on the Internet, and employed similar methods to access maritime vessels' networks at sea, the details of which he'll also cover in his talk.

Not surprisingly, the vulnerability disclosure process associated with the research was, he says, "extremely sensitive." Santamarta contacted all of the affected parties, he says, and ensured that no hacks he performed would put anyone in physical danger, for instance. "We improved … security and safety" with this research, he says.
Security Holes

In his 2014 research, Santamarta provided a report on several possible attack scenarios using the vulnerabilities he had discovered in the firmware of popular satellite ground terminal equipment. In his latest research he studied other Satcom systems and infrastructure and found the usual suspects of industrial Internet of Things flaws: backdoors, insecure protocols, and hard-coded credentials as well as buffer overflows, code injections, and exposed services.

These vulnerabilities "allowed us to take control of these devices and allow anyone to access the satellite services," he says. "We can leverage Satcom devices to perform cyber-physical attacks."

But like with Santamarta's previous research, the affected vendors and providers unfortunately aren't all on board with fixes for the newly discovered security holes. "The critical things have been fixed mostly. But there are other significant vulnerabilities that are still there, and that’s a still a problem," he says.

"The Satcom environment right now is really a mess. That's one of the reasons we called this talk 'The Last Call for Satcom Security,'" he says. "It's really worrying me what I am seeing in this area."

He declined to discuss in detail just how much damage an attacker could do with the aircraft hack they pulled off, saying: "This has to be explained carefully, and we've got all the technical details backing our claim. It's not an apocalypse, but basically there are some scenarios that are possible" that will be covered at Black Hat, he says.

In his 2014 research, Santamarta found that an in-flight airline WiFi network was vulnerable to malicious behavior via vulnerable Cobham AVIATOR 700 satellite terminals on the WiFi. 

The danger there was an attacker gaining control over the Satellite Data Unit or the SwiftBroadband Unit interface by taking advantage of the weak password reset feature, hardcoded credentials, or the insecure protocols in the terminal. Santamarta's new research illustrates just how an attacker could abuse Satcom and other equipment vulnerabilities. He says he spotted hundreds of "exposed" aircraft from multiple airlines, but only focused on a few in his hacking research.

"These are real cases. They are no longer theoretical scenarios," he says of his new research. "We are using vulns in Satcom devices to turn those devices into weapons" to trigger cyber-physical effects, he says.

There are two other known airplane-hacking research projects, but neither were accomplished from the ground to a flying plane like Santamarta's. 

The first was a controversial and disputed one in May of 2015, when security researcher Chris Roberts was accused by the FBI of hacking into an aircraft's controls via the WiFi network from his airplane seat, causing the airplane to briefly climb and move sideways, or laterally. 

Roberts at the time said the FBI's assessment of his experiment was overblown, and he later reportedly said the charges had been dropped.

A US Department of Homeland Security official in 2017 revealed at a satellite conference that his team had remotely hacked into a parked Boeing 757 at the Atlantic City, NJ, airport, using RF communications.  

Dark Reading

You Might Also Read: 

The Cyber Threat To Airports:

MH370 Loss Could Have Been A Remote Skyjacking:
 

« Ex-GCHQ Boss: Nation State Cyber-Attacks Affect Everyone
A Looming US vs China Tech War Over Huawei »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Check Point

Directory of Suppliers

Clayden Law

Clayden Law

Clayden Law advise global businesses that buy and sell technology products and services. We are experts in information technology, data privacy and cybersecurity law.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

Alvacomm

Alvacomm

Alvacomm offers holistic VIP cybersecurity services, providing comprehensive protection against cyber threats. Our solutions include risk assessment, threat detection, incident response.

NordLayer

NordLayer

NordLayer is an adaptive network access security solution for modern businesses — from the world’s most trusted cybersecurity brand, Nord Security. 

Tines

Tines

The Tines security automation platform helps security teams automate manual tasks, making them more effective and efficient.

CSR Privacy Solutions

CSR Privacy Solutions

CSR Privacy Solutions is a leading provider of privacy regulatory compliance programs for small and medium sized businesses.

Hack in the Box Security Conference (HitBSecConf)

Hack in the Box Security Conference (HitBSecConf)

HITBSecConf is a platform for the discussion and dissemination of next generation computer security issues. Our events feature two days of training and a two-day multi-track conference

Efecte

Efecte

Efecte is a Nordic SaaS company specialized in IT Service Management, Self-Service, Identity Management and Access Governance solutions.

Cryptshare

Cryptshare

Cryptshare is a communication solution that enables you to share e-mails and files of any size securely.

Evanston Technology Partners (ETP)

Evanston Technology Partners (ETP)

ETP provides services and solutions to enable and transform businesses in the areas of cybersecurity, data protection, and efficient operations practices.

Cyble

Cyble

Cyble Vision enables faster detection of cyber threats and focuses on identifying and analysing the motivations, methods, capabilities and tools of adversaries.

Finosec

Finosec

Finosec's mission is to change the way information security and cybersecurity are managed in banking.

Alias Robotics

Alias Robotics

Alias Robotics is a robot cyber security company. We deliver cyber security solutions for robots and robot components.

Defscope

Defscope

Defscope is an Azerbaijani company entirely focused on cybersecurity offering training, security consulting, and other professional services.

eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies

eMazzanti Technologies provides IT consulting services for businesses ranging from home offices to multinational corporations throughout the USA and internationally.

Cynalytica

Cynalytica

Cynalytica deliver pioneering cybersecurity and machine analytics technologies that help protect critical infrastructure, securely enable Industry 4.0 and help accelerate digital transformation.

BaXian Group

BaXian Group

BaXian AG is an international consulting company specializing in IT security, data analytics, risk management and compliance.

McAfee

McAfee

McAfee is a worldwide leader in online protection. We’re focused on protecting people, not devices. Our solutions adapt to our customers’ needs and empower them to confidently experience life online.

RADICL

RADICL

RADICL's mission is to give SMBs that serve America's Defense Industrial Base (DIB) access to strong, enterprise-grade cyber security protection.

Telarus

Telarus

Telarus is a Technology Services Brokerage that holds contracts with the world's leading cloud voice, contact center, cybersecurity, mobility and IoT providers.

DefensX

DefensX

DefensX turns your go-to browser into a secure digital workspace paired with robust Web Data Loss Protection and AI Data Protection.