# Question regarding cyper-attacks on airlines **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 8, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-cyper-attacks-on-airlines/762130 "2016-08-08T13:05:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-cyper-attacks-on-airlines/762130/1 "2016-08-08T13:05:08Z")
Hi After reading several hair-raising articles about cypher-attacks on airlines around the world, my question is how many occur in mid-flight/are responsible for crashes, and how can a pilot manage manually these days. It seems to me that the more automated piloting becomes, the riskier it will be to fly. I look forward to your feedback. > **[Southwest Airlines - Cyberattack or failed disaster recovery?](https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=121c9ef3-b5f3-4f4a-aedc-d207831f9d82)** > > One might conclude that there had been a cyberattack after Southwest Airlines cancelled more than 700 flights on July 21, 2016, but Southwest claimed… "Computerworld‘s entitles “Southwest Airlines delays flights after computer issues” included this comment: Southwest did not immediately respond to a request for information on what the technology problem was. It said in the statement that it had a team of experts working to resolve the technical issues and the systems were gradually coming back online. The team of experts may conclude that there was a cyberattack since IT backups and restoration are not designed to fail!" ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-cyper-attacks-on-airlines/762130/2 "2016-08-08T13:56:10Z")
> [@davidmich](#): > > The team of experts may conclude that there was a cyberattack since IT backups and restoration are not designed to fail!" The backup/restoration PLAN may be not designed to fail, but implementations of that plan fail all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-cyper-attacks-on-airlines/762130/3 "2016-08-08T16:56:49Z")
> [@davidmich](#): > > Hi > After reading several hair-raising articles about cypher-attacks on airlines around the world, my question is how many occur in mid-flight/are responsible for crashes, and how can a pilot manage manually these days. It seems to me that the more automated piloting becomes, the riskier it will be to fly. So far as I know, there have been no crashes or hijackings cause by a cyberattack on an airplane. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-cyper-attacks-on-airlines/762130/4 "2016-08-08T17:22:24Z")
Yep, no crashes that I’m aware of either. Aircraft aren’t connected enough to be vulnerable to cyber attacks…yet. If something weird did happen, disconnecting the autopilot will fix everything. Edit: when an airline has a problem like in the OP it affects the support systems of the airline itself but doesn’t do anything to the aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-cyper-attacks-on-airlines/762130/5 "2016-08-08T18:49:22Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > So far as I know, there have been no crashes or hijackings cause by a cyberattack on an airplane. [Iran got one of our drones.](http://nationalinterest.org/feature/did-iran-just-create-stealth-drone-captured-american-tech-11683) ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-cyper-attacks-on-airlines/762130/6 "2016-08-08T19:44:00Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > [Iran got one of our drones.](http://nationalinterest.org/feature/did-iran-just-create-stealth-drone-captured-american-tech-11683) It will never be known if Iran successfully captured the drone on their own, or we gave it to them. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-cyper-attacks-on-airlines/762130/7 "2016-08-08T20:07:53Z")
There’s a big difference between a _remotely controlled drone_ and a passenger plane flown by real pilots. ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-cyper-attacks-on-airlines/762130/8 "2016-08-09T05:14:52Z")
It was reported that a fellow on an aircraft, was able to hack into the entertainment system and change the engine power. On more than one occasion. I don’t know how real that report is. He did it just to see if he could. Not to crash the plane. Supposedly, the pilots manually corrected the situation. It does take careful engineering to isolate systems and not have inputs come from unintended sources, when you are dealing with computer controlled systems that also use non mechanically isolated input methods. Breaking the overall system down into totally isolated systems is best. But adds expense and components. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2016, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-cyper-attacks-on-airlines/762130/9 "2016-08-09T06:35:03Z")
It was self reported by a “security expert” who then found himself under investigation by the FBI because of his own self reporting. Boeing has said they don’t believe him due to the way the systems are isolated.