Hacking the Boeing 737: inside the Bus Driver attack | Kaspersky official blog

Researchers from UC San Diego and Oberlin College identified a security weakness in the Boeing 737 involving an unlocked hatch on the plane's exterior that provides access to a port connected to the ARINC 429 data bus. This bus connects the flight management computer (FMC) to the multifunction control and display unit (MCDU). By physically installing a small device into this port, attackers can send electrical signals stronger than normal, overriding legitimate commands on the bus. The device is compact, inexpensive, and can be installed quickly by personnel with physical access to the plane. This attack vector exploits physical access rather than remote network vulnerabilities, highlighting a risk from insider threats or unauthorized personnel at airports. The research does not indicate any known exploits in the wild or vendor-provided patches.

If successfully deployed, the device could allow an attacker to override commands on the ARINC 429 bus, potentially interfering with critical flight management functions. However, the attack requires physical access to an unlocked hatch on the plane's exterior, limiting the threat to scenarios involving insider access or physical tampering at airports. There is no evidence of remote exploitation or active attacks in the wild. The impact is significant in theory but constrained by the physical access requirement and lack of reported real-world incidents.

No vendor advisory or patch information is provided. Given the physical access requirement and the unlocked hatch vulnerability, mitigation should focus on securing physical access to the electronics bay hatch on Boeing 737 aircraft. This includes ensuring the hatch is locked and access is restricted to authorized personnel only. Regular inspections to verify hatch security and monitoring for unauthorized devices may also help mitigate this risk. Since no official fix or patch is mentioned, operators should follow best practices for physical security of aircraft components.