Potential hack for some Boeing planes fixed -researchers

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LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – A digital vulnerability in the computer systems used on some Boeing (NYSE:BA) Co aircraft that could have allowed malicious hackers to modify data and cause pilots to make dangerous miscalculations has been fixed, security researchers said on Friday.

   Older versions of a digital tool used to calculate landing and take-off speeds on some aircraft could be tampered with by hackers with direct access to an “Electronic Flight Bag,” or EFB, a tablet device used by pilots to plan flights, cybersecurity firm Pen Test Partners said in a report.

   “If data modification occurs, and the resulting miscalculations are not detected during the crew’s required cross check or verification process, an aircraft could land on a runway too short, or take off at incorrect speeds potentially resulting in a tail strike or runway excursion,” said the report, which was presented at the DEF CON hacker convention in Las Vegas on Friday.

   In a statement, Boeing said it was not aware of any airplane that had been affected by the issue, but had released a software update to address it.

   “The likelihood of this impacting flight safety is incredibly low,” Alex Lomas, a security consultant at Pen Test Partners, said during Friday’s presentation. “Pilots are trained to handle unusual situations.”