The satellite communication equipment on passenger jets can be hacked, according to researcher Ruben Santamarta.
According to the Telegraph, IOActive consultant Santamarta will present at this week’s Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, with him claiming that the devices are wide open and the goal of the talk is to help change that situation,
The researcher said he discovered the vulnerabilities by reverse engineering highly specialised software known as firmware, used to operate communications equipment made by Cobham, Harris, EchoStar’s Hughes Network Systems, Iridium Communications and Japan Radio Co. Representatives for Cobham, Harris, Hughes and Iridium said they had reviewed Santamarta’s research and confirmed some of his findings, but downplayed the risks.
