Two pilots, one of whom is a hacking expert, have debunked some of the myths surrounding aircraft hacking at Defcon 22.
Dr. Phil Polstra, professor of digital forensics at Bloomberg University (and an expert commercial pilot and flight instructor) and “Captain Polly” professor of aviation at the University of Dubuque, explained that there are some very simple reasons why aircraft cannot be digitally hijacked.
First, the electronic systems of any commercial aircraft cannot be accessed either by the entertainment system or by the in-flight Wi-Fi. Aircraft systems are never wireless, but always wired, and they don't even have to use the TCP/IP standard to communicate. Commercial aircraft networks use a variety of standards for data traffic, all of which stem from Ethernet, but in subtly different ways that could make it very difficult for hackers.
More: theregister.co.uk
