UCSD Researchers Hack Into Boeing 737 in Under 60 Seconds
UCSD researchers have demonstrated a concerning vulnerability in Boeing's 737 aircraft. Doctoral student Sam Crow, under the guidance of computer scientist Aaron Schulman, hacked into a real plane in under 60 seconds using a device about the size of a quarter. The team discovered that accessing a key electronic system located in the maintenance bay was relatively easy.
The research project, which has been ongoing for six years, aimed to find vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. Crow's findings were presented at the USENIX Security Symposium in Baltimore last August. The UCSD team alerted Boeing to its discovery in April 2020 and collaborated with the company to fix the issue.
Boeing engineers invited the researchers to their test lab in December 2023, where they demonstrated the hack on a 737 testbed. The team's research paper acknowledged the potential risks of educating attackers about this vulnerability but concluded that understanding these risks was crucial for mitigating similar threats in the future.