Hacker told F.B.I. he made plane fly sideways after cracking entertainment system

APTN National News ^ | May 15, 2015 | by Jorge Barrera

[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...

[Grampa Dave]

“Noot much would get me on a plane these days—our kids all live within driving distance now and even in an emergency we could get there before a plane would.

I’ve been everywhere I want to go, so I’m lucky that way.”

My wife and I are both 70 plus year old orphans, and our adult children/grand kids are 30 minutes and 1 hour away.

Any place, I want to vacation at, is on the west coast, and we can drive there in hours or have a nice trip with one or two overnight great motel/lodge stops.

[US_MilitaryRules]

Something doesn’t look right about that gif. The wheels are really out of round right before touching down.

[basil]

I don’t plan to ever board another plane, either—as you say, our kids live near enough for us to drive to visit them.

[Jamestown1630]

That’s what I thought when I first heard this story. Odd.

On the other hand, I was saying to my husband tonight that there seems to be a serious increase in ‘crazy people’ in the news lately. So many seem desperate for some kind of recognition, that they’ll do really nutty stuff.

-JT