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Hacker told F.B.I. he made plane fly sideways after cracking entertainment system
APTN National News ^ | May 15, 2015 | by Jorge Barrera

Posted on 05/16/2015 5:05:33 PM PDT by Jim Robinson

A well-known U.S. hacker told F.B.I. agents he took momentary control of an airplane’s engines mid-flight by hacking into its inflight entertainment system, according to a document filed in U.S. federal court and obtained by APTN National News.

Roberts, who has been interviewed at least three times by the F.B.I. this year, is under investigation for allegedly hacking into the electronic entertainment systems of airplanes, according to an application for a search warrant to probe seized electronic equipment.

The document shows F.B.I. agents investigating Roberts believe he has the ability to do what he claims: take over flight control systems by hacking the inflight entertainment computer.

Roberts has not yet been charged with any crime. The allegations contained in the search warrant application have not been proven in court.

Roberts is the founder of One World Labs and he is widely viewed as an expert on counter threat cyber security.

F.B.I. agents obtained the search warrant on April 17 to probe a number of electronic items seized from Roberts after he arrived in Syracuse, NY, from Chicago on April 15. Roberts had posted a joke tweet earlier in the day while on a United Airlines flight between Denver and Chicago. The tweet referred to hacking into the airplane’s in-flight entertainment and passenger oxygen mask system.

During two interviews with F.B.I. agents in February and March of this year, Roberts said he hacked the inflight entertainment systems of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, during flights, about 15 to 20 times between 2011 and 2014. In one instance, Roberts told the federal agents he hacked into an airplane’s thrust management computer and momentarily took control of an engine, according to an affidavit attached to the application for a search warrant.

“He stated that he successfully commanded the system he had accessed to issue...

(Excerpt) Read more at aptn.ca ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: airbus; airline; apple; aviation; boeing; chrisroberts; cybersecurity; fbi; flightcontrolsystem; hacker; ios; ipad; macbookpro; macos; nationalsecurity; oneworldlabs; planehack; planehacker; waronterror
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To: logi_cal869

I certify airborne software for a living. Yes, I know IMA. I also know partitioning. The boast is crap.


61 posted on 05/16/2015 9:12:32 PM PDT by MortMan (All those in favor of gun control raise both hands!)
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To: jonascord

According to the articles I can find, a skid is yaw in a turn caused by applying too much down rudder. It’s the opposite of a slip.

http://www.empire-aviation.com/flight-instructors/john-e-mclain/slips-and-skids-an-explanation-of-the-terms-is-necessary.html


62 posted on 05/16/2015 10:07:09 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: Jim Robinson
He stated that he thereby caused one of the airplane engines to climb...

Oh, did he now?

63 posted on 05/16/2015 10:13:15 PM PDT by Half Vast Conspiracy (PS I live north of San Diego. Come & get me.)
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To: MortMan
The boast is crap.

I agree. It is scary how many folks will believe it, though.

64 posted on 05/16/2015 10:17:50 PM PDT by Half Vast Conspiracy (PS I live north of San Diego. Come & get me.)
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To: Boogieman

It sure is worth considering!

My understanding is that all entertainment systems are air-gapped from control systems, meaning that there is no physical connection between them. They only share power (if that). If you hack into the entertainment system it gives you no access to the control system.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/hacking-into-a-plane-s-controls-no-easy-feat-1.3042166

Just for fun, here is a video of retrofitting a commercial jet with Wi-Fi.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsuvlmDWYuA


65 posted on 05/16/2015 10:30:07 PM PDT by MV=PY (The Magic Question: Who's paying for it?)
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To: mountn man

I want that pilot if I ever fly again. Been on that landing a couple times before too.


66 posted on 05/16/2015 10:37:40 PM PDT by MaxMax (Call the local GOP and ask how you can support CRUZ for POTUS, Make them talk!)
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To: kvanbrunt2; Da Coyote

Years ago, from LAX, we flew a Mexican airline into Mexico City, and days later, to a Mexican beach resort.
It was the landing, and the takeoff, in Mexico, that if you weren’t hysterically laughing, you’d be screaming!
Actually, those not laughing or saying ‘wow,’ were too shocked to speak!

Yet we’re here to tell the story!
AND - I think the pilots were well talented with these landings!


67 posted on 05/17/2015 2:12:21 AM PDT by USARightSide (S U P P O R T I N G OUR T R O O P S)
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To: mountn man

That’s a pilot!


68 posted on 05/17/2015 3:33:58 AM PDT by EEGator
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To: Cboldt
Oh yeah, this guy made a plane do a u-turn from the crapper!
69 posted on 05/17/2015 4:18:07 AM PDT by Cooter (Radicals always try to force crises because in a crisis, everyone must choose sides. - J. Goldberg)
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To: Bryan24

Agreed.


70 posted on 05/17/2015 5:47:51 AM PDT by b4its2late (A Liberal is a person who will give away everything he doesn't own.)
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To: TruthWillWin

Pilot stuck that plane down “on the numbers” despite a severe crosswind. That was a great piece of flying and shows the value of “humans in the cockpit”.


71 posted on 05/17/2015 5:54:36 AM PDT by VTenigma (The Democratic party is the party of the mathematically challenged)
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To: Moonman62

So! That’s what my instructor was trying to tell me!


72 posted on 05/17/2015 5:56:39 AM PDT by jonascord (It's sarcasm unless otherwise noted...)
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To: jonascord

Crabbing is aligning the airplane with the wind as you approach the runway, rather than aligning it with the runway. When you get to the runway, like that video posted above, you “kick out the crab” and align it with the runway, dropping a wing if necessary to keep from drifting with the wind.

Applying the rudder to help lose airspeed would be slipping.


73 posted on 05/17/2015 6:06:28 AM PDT by Big Giant Head
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To: Jim Robinson

Who is “Roberts”? I sure miss the 5W’s of journalism.


74 posted on 05/17/2015 7:44:17 AM PDT by Professional Engineer (You all can go to hell, I'm going to Texas.)
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To: Jim Robinson

Absolute load of crap. I work on these systems, and there is no way he did what he claims.


75 posted on 05/17/2015 8:20:50 AM PDT by dinodino
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Hang him upside down from an open hatch about 10K up, see if he sticks with his story.

76 posted on 05/17/2015 11:55:41 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW!)
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To: basil

There’s times it’s nice to be older... I remember being able to get to an airport 10 minutes before a plane took off and running to the plane then going up the stairs...


77 posted on 05/17/2015 2:48:26 PM PDT by GOPJ (More blacks are aborted every week than have been lynched in the entire history of the country-Rush)
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To: mountn man

Now that .... that is a cross-wind landing as done by an expert. I would hazard a guess that the pilot is a former Naval flier accustomed to catching the first wire. Not exactly the passenger-comfort-oriented method, but it sure do get the job done.


78 posted on 05/18/2015 8:39:14 AM PDT by Kenny Bunk (Hi! We're having a constitutional crisis. Come on over!)
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To: Jim Robinson

Unless I misunderstand this story, it sounds like he admitted to a series of felony offenses that will tally up to a couple of decades in federal prison for something that would seem to have been pretty difficult to prove . . . absent his confession. I wonder why?


79 posted on 05/18/2015 8:41:47 AM PDT by anton
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To: Jim Robinson

The person, who wrote this story probably converted crabbing/yawing to flying sideways.

Thanks for posting it.


80 posted on 05/18/2015 11:32:21 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (When will Sisi, Bibi, King Abdullah & ?, take out Isis in our White House, AG Dept, CIA, & State?)
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