More...
 

787 Jetliner, Aircraft, boeing, Bruce Schneier, BT Counterpane, Jetliner
787 Jetliner, Aircraft, boeing, Bruce Schneier, BT Counterpane, Jetliner

Will Boeing's 787 Be Safe From Hackers?

AP   |  ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE   |   January 9, 2008 05:42 PM

Read More: 787 Jetliner, Aircraft, Boeing, Bruce Schneier, BT Counterpane, Jetliner, Breaking Business News
stumbleupon :Will Boeing's 787 Be Safe From Hackers?   digg: Will Boeing's 787 Be Safe From Hackers?   reddit: Will Boeing's 787 Be Safe From Hackers?   del.icio.us: Will Boeing's 787 Be Safe From Hackers?

Before Boeing Co.'s new 787 jetliner gets the green light to fly passengers, the aircraft maker will have to prove that offering Internet access in the cabin won't leave the flight controls vulnerable to hackers and hijackers.

Boeing claims it has engineered safeguards to shut out unauthorized users, but some security analysts worry navigation and communications systems could be vulnerable.

"The odds of this being perfect are zero," said Bruce Schneier, chief technology officer at the security services firm BT Counterpane. "It's possible Boeing can make their connection to the Internet secure. If they do, it will be the first time in mankind anyone's done that."

Comments for this post are now closed


 
Comments
9
Pending Comments
0
iPhone App Promo

Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to

View Comments:
- realitytrumpsbull I'm a Fan of realitytrumpsbull permalink

Once upon a time, they built stuff that didn't have as many computers in it, before that they had no computers at all, and it turned out to be fairly reliable. You buy a car now, for example, and it has 6 computers in it. Computers that run computers that run computers. Maybe this is a good example of oversophistication? I guess if your cousin
works for the place where they make computer
modules then you might be more inclined to
add 5 or 6 more than you need, especially if
it costs more with em installed.

Airplanes fly because of the shape of the
wings, not because of the software. I'm more
worried about the nut behind the wheel like
with the drunk pilots they nabbed before they
took off than I am about computers...

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:42 PM on 01/10/2008
- willo I'm a Fan of willo permalink



A better question might be: Will it fly?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 11:24 AM on 01/10/2008
- Sundialsvc4 I'm a Fan of Sundialsvc4 permalink

Although I am pretty confident that Boeing will have the know-how to secure their airplanes ... they already have to secure other types of airplanes ... I would caution travelers about another type of vulnerability that happens every day in airports: risks to their own computers.

If you take your "typical Windows box," where you just turn it on and there's no password prompt and you're (of course) an Administrator ... and your wireless device just snoops around and finds a network and automagically attaches to it ... why, it's a breeze, isn't it?

Well, no, that "breeze" you feel is because you left your barn-door wide open.

Both on the road and in the office, take simple steps to secure your computer from unwanted access -- especially with regard to file-sharing. All of these facilities exist in any modern operating-system, they're easy to use and well-documented on the manufacturer's web-sites. They all make "common sense," and the very slightest bit of awareness is more than enough to dissuade opportunists.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:34 AM on 01/10/2008
- therealredstateblues I'm a Fan of therealredstateblues permalink
photo

On a related note, over 40% of the componentry on Boeings new plane is being outsourced in asia. with all the recent safety and quality problems related to outsourced goods does this sound like the kind of airplane you want to be riding in?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:22 AM on 01/10/2008
- SirReal1 I'm a Fan of SirReal1 permalink

It's as simple as this "If you network it, they will hack" (sorry Field of Dreams/Kostner).

Just take a look at the latest problem for the i-phone!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 07:21 PM on 01/09/2008
Comments are closed for this entry

You must be logged in to reply to this comment. Log in  or  Connect