Coin-sized device can hack a Boeing 737

(wired.com)

39 points | by _tk_ 1 day ago

4 comments

  • userbinator 21 minutes ago
    one that's routinely within reach of maintenance workers or other airport and airline staff between flights

    You already trust them (as well as the pilots) every time with your flight.

    • altmanaltman 3 minutes ago
      https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/06/avalon-airp...

      That trust was what led to this incident where someone just walked into the airplane dressed as a maintainence worker and nobody stopped him.

      Also pilot suicide isn't something new and the aviation world has tried to come up with several regulations to ensure it doesn't happen even though we completely trust pilots on a normalative basis.

    • pudgywalsh 16 minutes ago
      Are these the same maintenance workers that have access to even more sensitive parts of the airplane like the avionics compartment and its miles of wiring?

      Wait until they find out your mechanic has unfettered access to your car's OBD port when you hand them the keys. They could install a COIN SIZED device on the CAN bus and you'd never know.

      Some people do this voluntarily in exchange for a discount on their insurance.

      There's literally millions of people driving newfangled EVs where the car manufacturer has full remote access to their vehicle and can upload software however and whenever they like.

      I forgot the nefarious ones all wear yellow reflective vests.

  • United857 2 minutes ago
    > less than a minute, that hardware implant can be fitted into a port accessible via a hatch on the exterior of the plane

    Just as with computers, as the saying goes, if you have physical access to the device then all bets are off. The tricky part is getting that physical access in the first place...

  • WalterBright 15 minutes ago
    > the company may not in fact implement any such update to their systems for years to come, given how rarely commercial airplanes are redesigned.

    Boeing commercial airplanes are constantly updated. As long as the airplane is in service, Boeing retains a team of engineers that update parts as needed. If FAA review is needed, this will of course take longer.

    BTW, anyone with access to the internals of an airplane could potentially sabotage it. Sadly, all people with access need to undergo a security check.

  • LoganDark 31 minutes ago
    > “Our technical experts are confident that the layers of protection in place on the airplane, including within the system design and the operating environment, provide sufficient mitigation to significantly limit the feasibility and risk of real-world attacks,” the statement reads.

    So "We don't expect hackers to figure it out"

    • x______________ 20 minutes ago
      >So "We don't expect hackers to figure it out"

      People

      • LoganDark 12 minutes ago
        Yeah, but I was explicitly parodying the widespread convention of talking about "hackers" like terrible malicious monsters that only exist to destroy everything you know and love.