Security researcher Chris Roberts during a flightof United last month, reportedly posted a tweet saying he had managed to hack into the plane's electronic systems.
Now the FBI claims that the tweet was not funny. The FBI reports that Chris Roberts actually managed to break into the systems, causing the plane to be dragged sideways during the flight.
"He managed to successfully run the CLB command (from the climb which means climbing) in the system. In this way, one of the plane's engines began to rise, causing the entire plane to lift sideways during the flight. "
Chris Roberts denied the charge.
"Over the last 5 years my only interest has been in improving aircraft safety; but because of the situation that has arisen, I have been advised not to say much," Roberts said on Twitter.
He continued: "Sorry but there are 5 years of substance that the affidavit is incorrectly compressed only in one point… big confusion."
Apparently Roberts was able to successfully hack the plane's in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. Wired spoke to Roberts, who described the process as follows: He opened a box under the seat, and connected to a modified cable Ethernet. So he managed to connect to the IFE system using it name user and them codeadmin files that are present by default.
The next point is the most controversial, however: The FBI claims that it was then able to move from the IFE system to other networks on the plane, such as the networks connected to the engines, which allowed it to "command" the plane .
You can see the search warrant first published on a Canadian website at 15 May (.pdf).
