At the annual Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas, Ruben Santamara of IOActive, claims to have been able to access aircraft from the ground by hacking into the satellite communications network which provides aircraft with passenger Wi-Fi through to weather forecasts. He claims that he could have accessed every connected phone, tablet or laptop on planes streaming overhead but he said commercial airliner on-board systems remained out of his direct reach. However, Santamara warns the access he gained gave him the hypothetical power to damage specific parts of an aircraft as satellite communications technology allowed the transfer of energy via radio frequencies, which could potentially cause burns or damage sensitive equipment, reports Forbes.
Santamara says he’s reported his findings to relevant airlines, satellite operators and government agencies.
