A cybersecurity incident that occurred on a Delta Air Lines flight is being investigated after a hoax Wi-Fi network appeared aboard the Atlanta-bound plane. The unauthorised Wi-Fi connection appeared for a short time during the flight and resulted in the aircraft’s cabin crew disabling the plane’s Wi-Fi functionality for a short time. Many passengers aboard the plane are suspected to have attended DEF CON, a large hacking conference held in Las Vegas. The incident is being investigated by Delta Air Lines and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Internet Hoax Aboard Delta Flight
Flight DL591 travelling from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) in Atlanta was the victim of a cybersecurity incident on Aug. 10 after an unauthorised Wi-Fi network appeared mid-flight. The Boeing 757 had been carrying 199 passengers at the time, alongside six crew members.
Whilst no reports have emerged about the aircraft’s systems having been attacked, an initial review of the incident confirmed the unauthorised network was not provided, supplied, or operated by Delta Air Lines.
Early reports suggest that someone aboard the plane created a hoax internet network called “Delta WiFi Fast”, which caused concern among the plane’s crew. In response to the network, the cabin crew disabled the aircraft’s Wi-Fi functionality for around half an hour.
According to the data-sharing platform Airframes, the plane’s crew sent a message to Air Traffic Control (ATC) after becoming concerned about the situation, especially regarding passenger security. Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System recorded messages from the flight:
“Hey alert corp security we have a pax [passenger] on that has created a scam Wi-Fi called Delta WiFi Fast, we believe they are trying to scam the other pax [passengers].”
The message was followed up by the crew 15 minutes later:
“No info as of now we have a bunch of pax [passengers] that were at a cyber conferences in LAS. They were able to jam our Wi-Fi and broadcast their signal.”
Delta Air Lines said that while determining the exact nature of the incident will take time, it is committed to working with federal law enforcement and aviation regulators during the investigation.
“Evil Twin Attack” Launched Mid-Flight
Following the incident, a Delta spokesperson has confirmed that the aircraft’s safety was never compromised nor were its systems hacked:
“Safety of flight was never in question, and no aircraft operating systems were affected. We are fully investigating to gather a complete set of facts, which will take time. We will partner with federal law enforcement and aviation regulators to ensure the incident is thoroughly investigated. We thank our crew for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding.”
This particular kind of cybersecurity incident is a well-known hoax to federal authorities who have issued warnings about what is known as an “evil twin attack”. The attack is created by hackers who set up a fake public network access point with a stronger signal than the legitimate Wi-Fi connection. When a victim clicks to connect to the internet, the hackers are able to get access to their data, typically through “log in” portals.
The FAA has said it is aware and looking into the report but has confirmed that any breach or issue with the plane’s onboard Wi-Fi would not affect the aircraft’s flight safety systems.
Details of the FAA’s investigation and findings are limited; however, it has been noted that many passengers aboard the flight may well have been attending the DEF CON 34 conference held in Las Vegas during the preceding weekend from Aug. 6-9. DEF CON is one of the world’s largest cybersecurity and hacking conferences, attracting cybersecurity professionals, researchers, hackers, government officials and technology enthusiasts. Despite it attracting hackers, much of the conference focuses on finding vulnerabilities in cybersecurity and discussing how they can be fixed.
In a comment to The Register, a Delta Air Lines spokesperson said:
“We will partner with federal law enforcement and aviation regulators to ensure the incident is thoroughly investigated.”
As of now, no official details have been released about the inquiry.
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