Posted on 03/11/2014 10:28:03 AM PDT by Red Badger
FULL TITLE:
Special Conditions: Boeing Model 777-200, -300, and -300ER Series Airplanes; Aircraft Electronic System Security Protection From Unauthorized Internal Access
EXCERPT:
Discussion
The integrated network configurations in the Boeing Model 777-200, -300, and -300ER series airplanes may enable increased connectivity with external network sources and will have more interconnected networks and systems, such as passenger entertainment and information services than previous airplane models. This may enable the exploitation of network security vulnerabilities and increased risks potentially resulting in unsafe conditions for the airplanes and occupants. This potential exploitation of security vulnerabilities may result in intentional or unintentional destruction, disruption, degradation, or exploitation of data and systems critical to the safety and maintenance of the airplane. The existing regulations and guidance material did not anticipate these types of system architectures. Furthermore, 14 CFR regulations and current system safety assessment policy and techniques do not address potential security vulnerabilities which could be exploited by unauthorized access to airplane networks and servers. Therefore, these special conditions are being issued to ensure that the security (i.e., confidentiality, integrity, and availability) of airplane systems is not compromised by unauthorized wired or wireless electronic connections between the airplane information services domain, aircraft control domain, and the passenger entertainment services.
For the reasons discussed above, these special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.
The gist of it is: A passenger could possibly disable the aircraft electronic systems and take control, or pass control to a ground based operator.................................IRAN - CAPTURES US DRONE REMEMBER?..................
PING!
It’d be a hoot to find out that some 15 year old hacker stole the airplane and landed it on his farm, or something.
Could China have taken control of the aircraft, turned off it’s signals, and flown it to a location where they can reverse engineer it?
The aircraft may have been ‘ELECTRONICALLY HIJACKED’.........I pray that the passengers are all okay.
And if China did, would they kill and dispose of the passengers, or would imprison them for several months, until they could come up with a story of how they had been kidnapped by terrorists and China freed them.
Why would they want to do that? There’s hundreds of them at their airports every day..............
I thought we had already given China every secret we ever had.
Why? I’m sure Boeing would give them any information they wanted. Probably already have. Mind boggling amounts of sensitive manufacturing has been moved to China over the past 20 years.
Could have been. All Mayday calls would have to be disabled; which should be a small nuisance if it was electronically taken over...
Wow.
I’m not buying the notion that a terrorist can hack into vital a/c systems via an internet link, especially one that provides entertainment to pax.
At the most, hacking could affect cockpit internet access, and could cripple passenger entertainment.
Aircraft flight systems ARE linked to an internet provider, but in one direction: supplying information. The internet provider has to know ground speed, lat/lon, and especially aircraft orientation so that it can keep its antenna pointed to internet-providing satellites. But, there is no path provided for the aircraft’s vital systems to get info from the internet.
There is no path INTENTIONALLY provided for the aircraft’s vital systems to get info from the internet. Someone may have exploited a flaw in the system and provided that necessary link via their own computer system...................
Do they have the opportunity to take them completely apart? You're right in that they'd have opportunity to study them. And Chinese aircraft mechanics have to be fully trained in key mechanical repairs.
But it's no secret that China has been trying to compete with Boeing with their own line. So I'm just saying if there is something they could gain by doing so, China could have motive.
The hackers may have miscalculated the required fuel and distance to their destination. The aircraft may have crashed in the Indian Ocean, way west of the original flight path.
Is there any wonder that officials all over the world are keeping mum about this? If it turns out to be true, all similar aircraft would be grounded for a long time.......................
They have mucho dinero. They can buy one. It’s a lot cheaper....................
I agree this is troubling, more for what it doesn’t (for obvious reasons) say rather than for what it does. That there are communications networks, computers, servers, etc onboard should come as a surprise to no one. But that in no way implies that these systems were somehow access inflight. Not saying it’s impossible, just unlikely as hell. Anyone who’s worked around the aviation industry knows the kind of hoops manufacturers have to jump thru, not to mention CMMI Level V and all the rest of the standards that systems are designed and tested to.
Probably so.
No. They would simply buy one (to reverse engineer).
People are clever. Insidious people are very clever.....................
A Chinese airline has to perform annual maintenance some time (plenty of opportunity to dig around the aircraft). Any airline that operates the aircraft also has tons of maintenance manuals and other documentation out the wazoo - no need for the PRC to steal one. Air China, China Southern, and China Cargo Airlines, for example, all operate the 777 in one version or another.
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