The security expert used everyday hardware to access the planes flight control system.

Chris Roberts, a computer security expert was detained by the Federal Bureau for questioning over allegedly hacking into a planes flight control system. His hardware included a MacBook, an iPad, three hard drives and many USB flash drives which were confiscated in Syracuse, New York while getting out of a United Airlines flight from Chicago.

During his research, the founder of One World Labs is claimed to have told agents that he gained access to the in-flight entertainment (IFE) console on at least 20 occasions previously.

Mr. Roberts stated that he had exploited vulnerabilities with the IFE system on the aircraft while in flight and compromised the systems 15 to 20 times during 2011 to 2014, stated Bureau agent Mark Hurley’s affidavit.

The security expert was questioned following a tweet joking about accessing the planes in flight entertainment.

Roberts “stated that he then overwrote code on the airplane’s Thrust Management Computer while aboard a flight”. According to him he successfully commanded the system to issue the CLB or climb command. He stated that he thereby caused one of the airplane engines to climb resulting in a lateral or sideways movement of the plane.

As per the affidavit, that did not mention the flight particulars in which Roberts hacked control, Hurley and Roberts discussed IFE security vulnerabilities in Boeing 737 and 757, and Airbus A230 aircrafts during February and March. The computer security expert revealed, during the interview, that he was able to hack into IFE systems of Panasonic and Thales.

Agent Hurley had warned him that unauthorized access of in-flight systems was a federal crime to which the programmer promised of no such activities.

The FBI alleged that the programmer might attempt to hack again, and detained him for questioning, based on a tweet on 15th April. The agents and technicians found tampering on two electronic boxes in the vicinity of his seat on-board the aircraft in which he traveled to Chicago.

“We believe that Roberts had the ability and the willingness to use equipment… to access or attempt to access the IFE and possibly the flight control systems…and that it would endanger public safety to allow him to leave Syracuse airport that evening with the equipment,” states Hurley’s report.

Roberts however denied hacking into any system during the flight from Denver to Chicago and reportedly said “There is context that is obviously missing which obviously I can’t say anything about.” “It would appear from what I’ve seen that the federal guys took one paragraph out of a lot of discussions and a lot of meetings and notes and just chose that one as opposed to plenty of others.”