Wireless devices, apps used by private pilots susceptible to security attacks: Study

Scientists say that wireless devices and apps used by private pilots during flights are susceptible to a range of security attacks.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego and John Hopkins University presented their findings Nov. 5 at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The findings revealed that a combination of three most commonly used devices- the Appareo Stratus 2 receiver with the ForeFlight app; the Garmin GDL 39 receiver with the Garmin Pilot app; and the SageTech Clarity CL01 with the WingX Pro7 app- are used by casual pilots to access information, which is same as the information provided to the pilots of private jets, for much lesser cost.

Researchers found that the systems they examined were available for just 1,000 dollars as compared to more than 20,000 dollars worth instruments in a high-end cockpit.

In order to display information, the devices need to be paired with tablet computers or most of the time with iPad apps that reportedly have flaws.

Kirill Levchenko, a computer scientist at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, who led the study, said that on attacking these devices, one could not only gain control over the aircraft, but also have control over the information the pilot sees.