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Hijacking airplanes with an Android phone is SO three years ago!

Why?

Because this book, Die By Wire details an even more effective way to do this. The book was written more than three years ago and published in December 2011.

The following two links will offer more insight into the hack that goes far beyond the relatively simple Android phone exploit:

True, the Die By Wire hack used a modified laptop, but the conclusion is the same: The fly-by-wire computers in a modern aircraft can be hacked, hijacked and become a real-time version of Flight Simulator for the bad guys.

FAA, OTHERS POINT OUT WEAKNESSES IN ANDROID HACK

I agree with the two articles, below, that the Android hack described this week is way too simple to do the whole job.

In fact, I started with the same logic and looked at the exact two signals more than three years ago when I started my research. I realized then that it could not take control of the entire aircraft. So, I expanded on the concept in order to make 24 Airbuses disappear over the Atlantic. Simultaneously.

In a follow-up article published yesterday in Bloomberg Businessweek, the U.S. Federal Aviation Admnistration said that the Android phone exploit could not, by itself, allow a hacker to hijack an aircraft.

Then The Atlantic Wire ran this piece: No, That German Hacker Probably Can’t Hijack an Airplane with Software .

Both articles are right about the Android hack. But that still leaves the one I created for Die By Wire.

And, yes, some of the very specific details were omitted in the book.

The last time I got really specific about things I developed, the Iranians who took over the American Embassy used them as step-by-step instructions.

Since then, I have blurred a few things in my books. After all, I travel on fly-by, die-by-wire aircraft too, mostly because there’s little choice left.



  1. Ah_Yea says:

    And I still have to take off my shoes…

  2. orchidcup says:

    In 1989 and 1994, minor solar storms knocked out communication satellites, shut down power plants, and disrupted the electrical grid.

    These were minor solar flares.

    How many planes would fall out of the sky in the event of a massive solar storm?

    • Tim says:

      You are forgetting 2003 — where any compass could be seen to slowly swing through 15 degrees over a few hours — There were a surprising lack of shit falling out of the sky save colorful ions, then. Other than that, ALL the planes if you are talking about collapsing our holographic illusion back unto it’s 2-d reality; I’m not sure our sun can do that. But I digress.

      Actually, when I saw ‘Die By Wire’ I thought it meant the false-flagging un-intended acceleration Toyota’s from a few years back.

      What are your thoughts on ‘pole reversal’, lady? Is it chaotic reversal of the internal magnetic poles or is it the crust of Earth really does slide around the viscous interior mantle?

    • Tess Young says:

      Hello There,
      I just wanted to see if you were currently interested in additional guest bloggers for your blog site.
      I see that you’ve accepted some guest posters in the past – are there any specific guidelines you need me to follow while making submissions?
      If you’re open to submissions, whom would I need to send them to?
      I’m eager to send some contributions to your blog and think that I can cover some interesting topics.
      Thanks for your time,
      Tess

  3. noname says:

    Really this is why FAA banned phone use during flights. Knowing, they are also thinking of banning all electronic devices for our safety and Airline profits.

    At least the FAA should make onboard bathrooms a Faraday cage. You don’t want hijackers controlling the plane from the privacy of a bathroom.

    Of course with these new possibilities, a hijacker can avoid the embarrassing Airport “junk feel”, by staying in the comfort of home using a phone smuggled onboard. Perfect headline, hijacker take plane control and makes demands while the flight is still in range of cell towers!

    These are scary Nintendo times; American 2.0, the citizen schmuck reloaded and retrained!

    As American 2.0, citizen schmuck have demanded; authorities must plan and control the public for the worst case scenario and facilitate extracting mandatory government safety fees as the bulk money enriches non-tax paying corporations.

    • So What? says:

      Actually the FAA is currently conducting a study to either prove electronic interference is a potential danger or change the rules relaxing the use of personal electronics.

      http://tinyurl.com/bq8j852

    • Tim says:

      *scary Nintendo times*… fuck’n dumbstick jockeys couldn’t remote-veiw fps fly a plane into a barn wall from the inside.

      • noname says:

        They already have it numbnuts, and it’s been done good enough.

        Indeed these are *scary Nintendo times*!

        • Tim says:

          What I meant was that I would prefer my hijackers to have the precision of a mouse over the negative-acceleration, faulty auto-aim, and input smoothing of dumb-sticks.

  4. ECA says:

    Hmm,
    Interesting..
    so, you think the persons that MADE this stuff, havent figured out HOW to block random signals?

    Anyone get the IDEA that maybe, SOME DID WATCH STAR TREK??

    Can I point out that it would be easier to Scramble the signals used, then to TRY and control the aircraft..

  5. BigBoyBC says:

    Well, we know what Curry’s topic will be on sunday’s NA, he’s an aviation “expert” because he’s a “pilot”…

  6. UncDon says:

    Part of all this was one of premises of the New & Improved Battlestar Galactica: the Cylons reprogrammed the Colonials computer networks so the ships would stop working simultaneously.

    We need to go back to analog everything (including the use of manual Morse Code devices in the cockpit, just to be sure). Only then can we be safe.

  7. Kahless says:

    To be clear, is Perdue claiming that his work of fiction from three years ago is proof that this is possible?

  8. Peppeddu says:

    That’s just a fantasy, or an hallucination if you prefer.
    If it could have been done the terrorists would have already done it, and the fact that we didn’t see it mean that it can’t be done.

    After 9-11 the US government, the entire airline industry and just about any other government in the world is taking steps to make sure rogue individuals cannot bring down a plane.
    They’ve installed back scatters, doing pat downs, monitoring the Internet, created blacklists and piss off just about anyone in the name of safety.

    Yet, they are relying on the goodwill of the passengers to shut off their devices because “they may interfere” with the plane operations?

    Does anyone really, really believe that?

    • noname says:

      What are you a paid spokesman for the TSA?

      “fact that we didn’t see it mean that it can’t be done”

      That is almost the worlds most ignorant thought!

      You probably think the room disappears when you turn the lights off.

      These are indeed “scary Nintendo times”!

      • Peppeddu says:

        It’s just a matter of logic, think about it.

        Airline companies invest hundreds of millions of $$$ to develop a new aircraft.
        Everything is redundant, to make sure that the plane does not come down easily, and when an accident happen, the FAA is all over to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
        Don’t you ever watch Air Crash Investigation?
        That’s not fiction, that’s the real thing.

        And yet, somehow, you believe that a guy with an iPhone or whatever can bring down a plane? 🙂

        That’s just a real as this:
        http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1997-09-10/

        Dream on

  9. deowll says:

    http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/04/12/nsa-data-center-front-and-center-in-debate-over-liberty-security-and-privacy/

    So don’t worry. These people are keeping you safe, maybe. It’s your call how you feel about them.


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