Fearing United plane was hacked, FBI pulls security expert off flight
money.cnn.com
money.cnn.com
"Harmless pranks" like this can have bad results... however they highlight how insecure flights can be in a way that will grab attention in ways that would otherwise be ignored. There needs to be more available venues for PenTesters and white/greyhat hackers to be paid for their line of work. But security is often overlooked because the masses aren't educated on the subject. The number of companies that have lied about "your information is totally secure" is beyond belief. This is one of the reasons why.
E:
Adding on.
>Roberts said he took to Twitter out of frustration that Airbus and Boeing (BA) - the world's two largest plane manufacturers -- aren't listening to warnings he's made for years.
No surprise here. This is why I'm not sure how I feel about stuff like this. It does raise more awareness and maybe airlines will stop dragging their feet when they start getting bad publicity for being insecure.
E:
>Mark Turnage, the firm's CEO, said they met with two FBI agents in Denver on several occasions -- and was told to never hook up his laptop to a plane again.
So people are going to have to wait until an incident results in death for them to fix this? That's what it sounds like.
despite this being a publicity stunt by the firm trying to get paid, hired, it's a much needed one!