How One Hacker Hijacks Planes And Ships With $35 Antenna
It is
entirely possible for criminals and terrorists to take control of the
navigation systems of ships, planes, and other vehicles by just hacking
into the GPS system.
Todd Humphreys, a researcher from the University of Texas, has recently demonstrated
how a classic hacking technique could be used to steer a yacht off
course in the Mediterranean. Humphreys was able to steer the yacht off
course by using a special antenna to create false GPS signals that
fooled the GPS system on the 210-foot yacht into altering its course.
The tech investigator was able to send the false signals to the yacht
with a rig consisting of a laptop and an antenna.
Fox News and Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper reported that the rig Humphreys used cost less than $35 to build.
This is scary because somebody could use such false signals to fool
an airplane into hitting a city or another plane. It could also be used
to steer a ship off course, say steer an oil tanker onto a reef or a
ship into an oil rig. That could create an environmental catastrophe
such as the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. It could also steer a
cruise ship onto a reef or into shallow water or an area where the Navy
is conducting gunnery tests.Hacking Technique Highlighted, DHS Ignores It
What Humphreys used to hack into the GPS system was a classic hacking technique called “wardriving.” Wardriving has been around for years; it has often used to steal credit card information from retailers by hijacking Wi-Fi signals.In the past, Humphreys has been able to hack drones like those used by the CIA by using a similar technique. Such drones are now being used for police and other purposes in the United States and tested on Air Force ranges. A terrorist could take control over such a drone and use it to attack U.S. citizens. It isn’t hard to imagine such technology being used to hijack planes or trains.
This is really scary because the Asiana Airlines Crash at San Francisco International Airport on July 6 occurred because pilots thought they were farther from the ground than they really were. It isn’t hard to imagine terrorists or a psychopath fooling a plane crew into thinking that the downturn of a major city was on the landing path to an airport and causing a plane to fly into a building.
The havoc that could be wreaked with this technology is incredible, and it isn’t that complex or exotic. Wardriving has been around for years. Humphreys has tried to get the Department of Homeland Security interested in this threat, but he’s been ignored. It seems they’re more interested in harassing children and grandmothers at airports.
Fortunately, Congressman Mike McCaul (R-Texas), the chairman of the House Committee on Home Security, is looking into this. Maybe we’ll get some action before a tragedy occurs. I just hope that the news coverage of Humphreys’ work doesn’t give the bad guys any ideas.
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