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The FBI seized equipment from noted security researcher Chris Roberts on Wednesday, alleging that Roberts may have tampered with the systems aboard a United flight to Chicago. Roberts denies the claim.
Chris Roberts (a.k.a sidragon1), a leading researcher delving into the security of airplanes, was pulled off a plane in Syracuse, New York, on Wednesday by the FBI and questioned, apparently over concerns that he attempted to hack into critical systems aboard a United flight earlier in the day.
His laptop and a variety of external storage devices were confiscated by the FBI, which said it wanted to determine whether Roberts, an authority on security vulnerabilities in modern aircraft, may have accessed sensitive systems on a flight from Colorado to Chicago earlier in the day.
Roberts is the founder and Chief Technology Officer of One World Labs, a security research firm.
In response to mentions of his earlier research on Twitter, Roberts, using the @sidragon1 handle, had tweeted about his ability to hack into in-cabin control systems on the Boeing 737.
“Find myself on a 737/800, lets see Box-IFE-ICE-SATCOM, ? Shall we start playing with EICAS messages? “PASS OXYGEN ON” Anyone ? :)”
(Score: 1) by anubi on Sunday April 19 2015, @08:09AM
Like Frojack just said... I am pleased they did interfere.
From what I read, I would think there is no criminal intent. Just curiosity. And a desire to develop saleable knowledge.
The most important elements are already in place: no criminal intent and curiosity. Given permission and opportunity, knowledge quite helpful to "our side" is likely.
Denied permission and opportunity, none of us will benefit from his studies.
Curiosity seems so rare in us these days... seems most us are far more interested in "the game" or what the latest celebrity fad is doing. I know my most useful things came out of someone else's curiosity and research. Nothing I have of any value came from "the game".
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday April 19 2015, @09:44AM
What do you mean by "the game" ..?
(Score: 1) by anubi on Sunday April 19 2015, @10:14AM
Mostly sports. Seems everytime I see someone getting excited about something, its something to do with sports scores. If its not that, its some celebrity.
Very seldom do I see someone's "entertainment" originating from within themselves. It seems like we have been trained to expect others to entertain us.
Sitting in a noisy stadium for several hours would be pure torture for me. I'd rather take a nice long walk.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday April 19 2015, @10:49AM
I'd rather be in a room filled with computers than one filled with bat crazy "fans" .. ;)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 19 2015, @11:59PM
It's like that Eminem song 'Rap Game' only it's about the assinine 'security scene' amd manuevering around in it. Alternately it is about 'outsmarting' but that's not a fair interpretation anymore - like bringing nukes to a shootout and your own camera crew. Nice attempt at a cover but I had to say it like it is. Almost everybody now seems to be in it for 'the game', which often also means inventing bigger and worse enemies out of thin air these days.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bziman on Sunday April 19 2015, @02:31PM
I'm much more afraid of unlimited government power than I am of security researchers.
Airline, network, and most other security remains a joke, and the only reason that it hasn't been exploited on a large scale is that there just isn't a serious threat. You'll get the ocassional crazy, but most of them fail because of their own stupidity and the rest get through... it's not worth destroying our way of life so you can feel safe from this imaginary threat.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Monday April 20 2015, @01:21AM
As far as security goes, nearly everything I have seen is pure and simple theater. Illusion.
Its all sorts of armed guards flashing big guns guarding grass huts. While others have cans of gasoline, matches, and are sneaky.
Of course, I am referring to our computational infrastructure, laced with back doors only one *thinks* he is the only one privy too. Not thinking that the mere existence of universal back doors on a monogenomic computational infrastructure is about the most non-resilient architecture imaginable. Its just waiting for a prankster to set it on fire, just for the fun of watching it burn.
I write of this meme often here. I have my reasons. They are time and date stamped entries. And I intend to refer to them when it happens. Others who see this monster growing in the nursery will probably refer to them as well.
People holding high places and entrusted with making law will need to explain why they did it.
I hate to sacrifice a free nation just to keep people from trying to copy a song.
Trying to "own" knowledge is like trying to claim ownership of a gust of wind.... you can't make it public and expect to retain it. Only people I know of that got away with this is the early priests, who held "sacred knowledge" to themselves. Gutenberg did away with that meme with the invention and use of the printing press. I am sure there were a lot of priests that would have like to have seen Gutenberg crucified for what he did, but are the rest of us any better or worse for Gutenberg's works?
The internet is just the next level from the printed word, and just as instrumental in the development of humanity.
I just hope soon we realize that the only thing we have that's worth a damn is our collection of knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom is in infinite supply, and all we do by throttling back the feedback loops is just slowing our own development. If we fail, we either relegate ourselves back to a sub-existence or perish like yeast in a petri dish.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 19 2015, @04:50PM
Except that the way they're handling this is terrible, as they're treating him like an enemy.