Building on the concept of taking the concept of security out of the desktop and server closet from 2010 when we attacked cars and busses….and then earlier this year when we picked on tractors…..we are going to see if we can get ourselves into some hot water by picking on airplanes. This talk will examine the role of the computer systems in the modern plane and the challenges surrounding the implementation of some of the security in the systems that ensure 250+ tons of metal stays in the air. We will put forth some practical ideas and theories on how to compromise the architecture and of course the scenario’s of “what if” will be worked through. The talk is designed to be a back/forth discussion with the audience specifically around the scenarios and the various controls in place within the plane’s network to identify and deal with any such argument we can put forth.
We are going to focus on the commercial world of passenger transportation, however will touch upon the military crossovers where fully understood. We will discuss the data acquisition and modeling architectures as well as the BUS and core logic systems that are implemented within several identified plane types, and again as above we will run through scenarios and explain the logic involved in bypassing (fooling) the design.
Quite simply put we will theorize on how to turn the engines off at 35000 feet and not have any of those damm flashing warning lights go off in the cockpit….needless to say this is all theory (Please don’t try this on the way home, and only use on a tame “owned” 747.)