PlaneSploit, an application to hijack planes

From now on, anyone who has an Android mobile on a plane is extremely dangerous, and all because of the application PlaneSploit, which allows you to hijack a plane. It may sound like a joke, but it is as real as you are reading this. An expert in computer security, with a commercial airplane pilot license, has been the one who has developed this application.

Hugo Teso, that is the name of the computer security expert who has shown that broadcasting and communication systems in aircraft addressing, known as ADS-B and ACARS, are quite prone to computer attacks. He has been able to hack into these systems in a virtual environment and has even created an Android application that allows control an airplane. The application is called PlaneSploit and is capable of instructing the aircraft to change course and flight plan.

It seems incredible, but it's true. Among all the possibilities of this application, we find that it is also capable of establishing guidelines for action in certain situations, such as modifying the direction when reaching a certain altitude. But what is most scary is that it is capable of causing a failure in the system, in such a way that the plane takes the direction of making a visit against the ground. It is even capable of controlling the direction of the plane through the accelerometer of the smartphone or tablet.

The application only works when the plane is on autopilot activated, and the pilot can resume flight at any time, without the application having any effect. However, Hugo Teso has warned that once the application has been connected to the system, it can work without being warned by the pilots. We remember, yes, that most likely no user with basic knowledge will be able to hijack a plane with this application. However, it is possible that it can also be useful in cases of hijacking, so that the pilots can continue to control the plane even if they are not in the cockpit.