the hacked airplane
 

24 hours real time monitoring of the A380 and B787, Wireless IFE systems. Did it already happen or is it a matter of time until the first motivated uses these possibilities to get access into airplane systems. Sure these connections are protected by firewalls, codes etc. but we all know that gives no 100% guarantee. What are your opinions?

Somehow from a Security point of view, its pointless

From my understanding the IFE is completly seperate in those terms

Hacking the aircraft systems wouldn't generally be possible (though ADS/B data might interest some people) but hacking the IFE could be rewarding for acquiring cheap video/audio. The A380 has 150 videos loaded as well as 750 audio albums. Movies would be the watered down airline versions but the audio is another matter - all the latest issues in full and for free would be quite attractive. Then there's the games...

The aircraft systems aren't wireless. Unless you can physically access the I/O ports of the aircraft you can't hack their systems.

methinks that somebody is trying to get ideas about how it could be done.

Somewhat akin to how can one get a foot in the cockpit door nowdays :)

Fortunately the designers are ahead of them.:)

Flight International (23.11-29.11 page 17)....the A350 has a two-part software architecture- the core domain for flight critical systems and the extension domain that includes the a380 inspired IFE system. Lange says the two domains could not be mixed for data security.
Access to the core from extension domain could allow passenger to spread viruses or hack hack flight systems. Boeing is using an avionics software "hardwall" to stop hacking on the 787.
Sounds to me that the designers treating this subject quite serious. Anything is possible.