The FBI is currently investigating a cybersecurity consultant who admitted to the agency that he was able to hack into computer systems of airplanes via the in-flight entertainment systems during flights.
A report from CNN said FBI detained Chris Roberts, a security researcher at One World Labs, on April 15 shortly after arriving at the Syracuse Airport and confiscated from his possession an iPad Air, a MacBook Pro, several flash drives and two external hard disks.
The items were believed to have been used by Roberts in tampering with the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system of a United Airlines flight from Denver to Chicago which he took that day.
Prior to the incident, the FBI had interviewed Roberts on February 13 and March 5 regarding the vulnerabilities of IFE system on airplanes.
In the search warrant application filed at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York, Roberts told the FBI that he was able to identify vulnerabilities in three Boeing aircrafts and and one AirBus aircraft and had "compromised the IFE systems approximately 15 to 20 times" from 2011 to 2014."
With this revelation, the FBI had advised Roberts twice, on February 13 and 23, 2015, that "accessing airplane networks without authorization is a violation of federal statute" and may be prosecuted in doing so.
However, Roberts posted a tweet on April 15, under the username "Sidragon1," talking about hacking the IFE system of the plane he was on, during which he was traveling from Denver to Chicago on board a United Airlines flight connecting to Syracuse.
Upon arrival to Chicago, FBI agents inspected the portion of aircraft where Roberts was seated and the one in front of it. There they found that two electronic control boxes connected to the IFE system located underneath two seats showed signs of tampering but Roberts told the FBI he didn't hack the IFE system while he was on the Denver-Chicago flight that day.
Despite this, CNN reported that one of the plane manufacturers clarified that the IFE systems and the navigational systems of their airplanes are not connected to each other. It also noted that "no changes to the flight plans loaded into the airplane systems can take place without pilot review and approval."
In an interview with WIRED, Roberts said that there was one paragraph in the federal affidavit that was discussed out of context.
No charges have been file against Roberts as of late.
