"A Coin Sized Threat: Unmasking the Aviation Industry's Vulnerability" Researchers at the University of California San Diego and Oberlin College have demonstrated a coin sized device capable of hacking into Boeing 737 aircraft electronics, sparking concern about the vulnerability of modern air travel.
The device exploits a weakness in the communications between two key flight computers on Boeing 737 aircraft, allowing hackers to secretly change a plane's flight plan without it appearing on the pilot's display.
The researchers demonstrated scenarios in which hackers could cause the autopilot to divert the aircraft into another country's airspace or send it off course.