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A Boeing Code Leak Exposes Security Flaws Deep in a 787's Guts

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Re: A Boeing Code Leak Exposes Security Flaws Deep in a 787's Guts

#91

It seems insane that all this code isn't just open source by default. No one's going to be able to rip off airlines by stealing it, you still need to have a company that, you know, sells planes. Keeping it closed seems like a full admission that "there are probably a bunch of bugs in here and we don't want people to see them"

Why isn't iOS open source?

Re: A Boeing Code Leak Exposes Security Flaws Deep in a 787's Guts

#92
post #39
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There should actually be three distinct "air-gaped" networks (or at least classifications of network). Secure: The network that connects and controls the airplane. Absolutely only essential things allowed on, and if possible isolated using mathematically proven secure vlan/isolation techniques. "Employee": pilots, crew, etc. This is more just a distinct network for corporate operations security. "Customer": Still try…

Most Boeing planes (though not the 787 discussed here) don't use fly-by-wire, so you could argue that the most essential control plane is perfectly isolated by virtue of not having any sort of network at all, just hydraulics into the cabin.

But wasn't the 737-max issue that a software system was forcing an elevator change to pitch the nose down? That sounds pretty fly-by-wire (even if hydraulics are involved).

Re: A Boeing Code Leak Exposes Security Flaws Deep in a 787's Guts

#93

> But Boeing counters that it has both "additional protection mechanisms" in the CIS/MS that would prevent its bugs from being exploited from the ODN, and another hardware device between the semi-sensitive IDN—where the CIS/MS is located—and the highly sensitive CDN. That second barrier, the company argues, allows only data to pass from one part of the network to the other, rather than the executable commands that wo…

Data diodes.

Call me when you bypass them, I have a job for you.

Re: A Boeing Code Leak Exposes Security Flaws Deep in a 787's Guts

#95

If I owned a 787, would I be likely to have the rights to lend it to security researchers to test the exploits, or would it be prohibited through a contract that Boeing requires customers to agree to? Is there a reason that an individual would own a 787 for personal use— eg - is it a plane that people change the interior layout for use as a private jet, or are these planes all tied up in commercial use? If I owned on…

It would require recertifications

Re: A Boeing Code Leak Exposes Security Flaws Deep in a 787's Guts

#96
post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qantas_Flight_72#Final_report

Interesting that they never found the root cause. I assume they fixed it by detecting symptoms since the cause is unknown.

Air Disasters did an episode on this flight with interviews from the people that diagnosed the problem. https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/shows/air-disasters/free-...

Re: A Boeing Code Leak Exposes Security Flaws Deep in a 787's Guts

#97
post #33
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Connecting entertainment systems to flight control sounds very wrong. Connecting entertainment systems to flight management would be common; it should be one-way communication (entertainment can only read FMS data, not send any), for the purpose of driving the moving map displays for passengers.

The moving map could easily be fed from a separated consumer grade GPS. Same for all other metrics that the median passenger would care about (height, speed over ground), except for the ever-impressive outside temperature.

Consumer grade GPS actually won't work at 30,000+ feet at speeds the plane would be flying. This is to prevent someone from using the GPS system to steer a ballistic missile.

Re: A Boeing Code Leak Exposes Security Flaws Deep in a 787's Guts

#98
post #25
post #14

...an FAA spokesperson wrote in a statement to WIRED that it's "satisfied with the manufacturer’s assessment of the issue." Can't help but read this as: "We don't have a clue and depend on the manufacturer to tell us everything is 5 by 5."

The FAA was satisfied with Boeing's design for the 737MAX. Sorry, but I now have zero trust in the FAA.

Given in the US that corporations are allowed to contribute to political campaigns, and that one party has a very strong sense of "regulation is bad", there is intense pressure to deregulate as much as possible. And with the current administration and its choice to not staff many positions while cutting budgets (and while enacting executive orders to eliminate some regulations), the FAA is really unable to do anything.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisagarcia/2019/03/18/did-tru...

Re: A Boeing Code Leak Exposes Security Flaws Deep in a 787's Guts

#99
post #82

I feel like this is the kind of thing that would've been completely ignored by everybody except for a handful of concerned hackers had it not been for the recent media outrage against Boeing (and in my opinion absolutely deserved). I guess the question is how bad is it (from the article it's hard to tell exactly, but it sure doesn't sound great)? And another question is how many of our systems that we rely on, from b…

>I have no idea how that company will ever earn back my trust Millions of ongoing safe flights? I dunno. I feel like they're getting savaged (which they deserve... to a point... but we will cross that point I am pretty sure, if we haven't already...) The thousands (tens of thousands?) of safe flights per day don't make the news. Boeing has been a pioneer in the safest form of transportation in existence. Mentour Pilo…

If that quote is so[x], that casts a very deep shadow over the FAA. They've gone from handing off their responsibility for validation to outright rejecting the safety advice of the maker of the aircraft.

[x] and I don't mean that to doubt you but I hope you understand I can't be absolute on this without verification

Re: A Boeing Code Leak Exposes Security Flaws Deep in a 787's Guts

#100
post #82

I feel like this is the kind of thing that would've been completely ignored by everybody except for a handful of concerned hackers had it not been for the recent media outrage against Boeing (and in my opinion absolutely deserved). I guess the question is how bad is it (from the article it's hard to tell exactly, but it sure doesn't sound great)? And another question is how many of our systems that we rely on, from b…

>I have no idea how that company will ever earn back my trust Millions of ongoing safe flights? I dunno. I feel like they're getting savaged (which they deserve... to a point... but we will cross that point I am pretty sure, if we haven't already...) The thousands (tens of thousands?) of safe flights per day don't make the news. Boeing has been a pioneer in the safest form of transportation in existence. Mentour Pilo…

Boeing probably doesn’t have the ability to ground their fleet with legal force, but if they said, “these planes aren’t safe, don’t fly them until we can investigate and fix,” most airlines would listen and I don’t think the FAA could somehow block this.
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