Hackers can use in-flight Wi-Fi to highjack flights, plane expert

Researchers have shown that it is theoretically possible to highjack a flight using the in-flight Wi-Fi.

Security consultant Ruben Santamarta, who will be presenting his findings this week at the annual Black Hat gathering of hackers and cybersecurity researchers in Las Vegas, shows vulnerability of the ground stations that are used to jack into the global network of satellite-based communications.

Santamarta's team used the same devices often used to access satellite communications networks for air and sea travel and found that 100 percent of the devices could be abused, CNET reported.

The vulnerabilities exposed could allow remote, unauthorized users to gain access to systems we really don't want unauthorized users going anywhere near. And exploiting these faults can be disturbingly simple, report said.

In certain cases no user interaction is required to exploit the vulnerability, just sending a simple SMS or specially crafted message from one ship to another ship can do it.

Most terrifying to the average air traveler is the notion that a hacker could theoretically use in-flight Wi-Fi or another entertainment system to hack into the plane's avionics equipment and interfere with navigation or safety systems, the report added.

However, the hacks have only been simulated in the lab. And Santamarta said that they might be hard to duplicate in the real world.