The Department of Homeland Security successfully hacked a Boeing 757 commercial airplane's avionics, The Daily Beast reports.
A DHS official revealed the test, conducted at an airport in Atlantic City, N.J. over a year ago, during a keynote address at the 2017 CyberSat Summit last week.
"We got the airplane on Sept. 19, 2016. Two days later, I was successful in accomplishing a remote, non-cooperative, penetration," Robert Hickey, aviation program manager in the Cyber Security Division of the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, told Defense Daily. "I didn't have anybody touching the airplane; I didn't have an insider threat. I stood off using typical stuff that could get through security, and we were able to establish a presence on the systems of the aircraft."
A spokesperson for Boeing told the Daily Beast: "We witnessed the test and can say unequivocally that there was no hack of the airplane's flight control systems."
DHS spokesman Scott McConnell added: "The comments made during the 2017 CyberSat Summit lack important context, including an artificial testing environment and risk reduction measures already in place.
"The aviation industry, including manufacturers and airlines, has invested heavily in cybersecurity and built robust testing and maintenance procedures to manage risk."
Although Boeing ceased production of the 757 in 2004, many are still in use. Major airlines such as United, Delta and American still use 757, as do President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
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