United cockpit access information may have leaked out
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Canada
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
United cockpit access information may have leaked out
United Airlines says cockpit door access info may have been made public - CBS News
"United Airlines said in a "Safety Alert" emailed to employees that information regarding its flight deck access security procedures "may have been compromised," CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports.
It also said in an emailed statement to CBS News that "some cockpit door access information may have been made public."
The email to employees, sent on Saturday, was short on specifics. But the airline said it was working on a "corrective action plan," noting that pilots have been asked to review procedures during briefings."
"United Airlines said in a "Safety Alert" emailed to employees that information regarding its flight deck access security procedures "may have been compromised," CBS News transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave reports.
It also said in an emailed statement to CBS News that "some cockpit door access information may have been made public."
The email to employees, sent on Saturday, was short on specifics. But the airline said it was working on a "corrective action plan," noting that pilots have been asked to review procedures during briefings."
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Between a rock & a hard place.
Posts: 485
Likes: 0
Received 9 Likes
on
3 Posts
It's not much of a secret. My airline employer recommends cabin crew hand the code over if in fear of their or others lives. The flight crew assess and override any coded request as necessary.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
If the airline has a two-person cockpit policy, there is no need for a code at all. Even if one pilot has gone for a comfort break, someone can open the door from the inside. Before we get into the "what would a little hostie do in a case like the German Wings, where she wouldn't have the strength to overpower a determined man?", the answer is simple Open the 
door. Both companies I flew with post 9/11 had both, a two-person cockpit, and a coded door.
door. Both companies I flew with post 9/11 had both, a two-person cockpit, and a coded door.
I Have Control
Join Date: May 2004
Location: North-West England
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oh dear....the bad pilot simply sets the automatics for a high-speed descent to the ground on its heading, then gets up to block the door and the crew member before he/she knows what bad pilot has done. And no need to use bad language there, Herod
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 1,257
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If the airline has a two-person cockpit policy, there is no need for a code at all. Even if one pilot has gone for a comfort break, someone can open the door from the inside.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
And what happens if the one inside is incapacitated (medical issue, etc.)?
And what happens if the one inside is incapacitated (medical issue, etc.)?
TBH I think ImbracableClunk made a good point back in permalink #5, but I'm a bit old fashioned abut these things.
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Surrey, UK
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Naive question coming up.
Someone I know works for a well-known computing company. He told some of us that he has to have a 32 character password, containing no recognisable sequences such as real words, not written down anywhere, and changed every two weeks.
I'm not suggesting that airliner doors need to be that elaborate, but surely occasional changes are in order?
At a local ATM, I notice that the number 1 is more worn than the others. I have no idea what these cabin locks look like, but if the code stays the same for months, it may become easier to guess.
Someone I know works for a well-known computing company. He told some of us that he has to have a 32 character password, containing no recognisable sequences such as real words, not written down anywhere, and changed every two weeks.
I'm not suggesting that airliner doors need to be that elaborate, but surely occasional changes are in order?
At a local ATM, I notice that the number 1 is more worn than the others. I have no idea what these cabin locks look like, but if the code stays the same for months, it may become easier to guess.
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Lossy city
Posts: 58
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That's actually a monumentally stupid password policy, just take a read of the following if you don't believe me: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archiv...nt_passwo.html (I find it hard to believe people wouldn't write those passwords down...)
Now I've seen pilots and FAs carry books of codes for airport doors, so I wonder if the same applies to cockpit doors. In which case you could just invalidate the codes and send out a new set.
Now I've seen pilots and FAs carry books of codes for airport doors, so I wonder if the same applies to cockpit doors. In which case you could just invalidate the codes and send out a new set.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Also, at least at my ATM, pressing the "1" key gives up fast cash in the realm of $40, which is what I think most folks choose.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 265
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The secret to a successful password is an arcane string, not something one would have to write down.
A brute force attack will eventually reveal any password. Especially on badly configured systems which allow unlimited guesses.
The whole idea of a password is to achieve something only the user knows by heart.
A string of 32 characters, with punctuation and random caps doesn't fit.
And the function then amount selection buttons are alongside the screen, separate from the bottom keypad, which is only used for other amount, i.e. the less common ones
So perhaps you can find someone else to patronise.
That's actually a monumentally stupid password policy, just take a read of the following if you don't believe me: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archiv...nt_passwo.html (I find it hard to believe people wouldn't write those passwords down...)
Not quite the same as changing most or all of a larger string.
Last edited by aox; 28th May 2017 at 12:56.
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: PA
Age: 59
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
How about just remove those door locks. They were a knee-jerk reaction to 911.
You can still have the doors, this will slow them down, but in reality if someone is prepared to get in, they are prepared to get in.
You can still have the doors, this will slow them down, but in reality if someone is prepared to get in, they are prepared to get in.
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Connecticut, USA
Age: 64
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Agreed. I think that what the security experts fail to recognize is that post-9/11, the mindset changed. Before that, if (as a passenger) your plane was hijacked, chances were good that all it meant was that you were going to be inconvenienced by a side trip to some third-world country. Now - it's unlikely that those hijackers just want a ride somewhere. It makes it a lot less likely that passengers are just going to sit there like sheep and let the hijackers do as they choose - and even if the hijackers are armed, there are a lot more non-terrorists than there are terrorists in the back of the plane.