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Crashing an In-Flight Entertainment System

rabblerouzer writes "Hugh Thompson, who was interviewed by Slashdot on the dangers of e-voting, now has a cool blog entry on how he was able to bring down the gaming/movie console on an airplane. He calls it one of the most interesting examples of a software 'abuse case' he has ever seen." Fortunately the IFE system is totally disjoint from the avionics.

20 of 322 comments (clear)

  1. Looks like the airline got their own back. by LighterShadeOfBlack · · Score: 4, Funny
    TFA:

    Unable to connect to database server
    --
    Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and stupid comments are intentional.
  2. Profit? by delirium+of+disorder · · Score: 5, Funny

    0. Install wireless NIC to In-Flight Entertainment System
    1. Connect to wireless WAN and Internet
    2. Install web server and post link to slashdot
    3. Short sell airline stock
    4. ???
    5. Profit!

    --
    ------ Take away the right to say fuck and you take away the right to say fuck the government.
  3. Probably redundant by now, but... by EvanED · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hugh Thompson, who was interviewed by Slashdot on the dangers of e-voting, now has a cool blog entry on how he was able to bring down the gaming/movie console on an airplane

    What, did they link /. to it?

  4. Re:Slashdotted already? by f_raze13 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The real title: How to crash a personal blog Summary: Post a link to it on /.

  5. Re:Err by iluvcapra · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, gee. I hope that that little map of the Atlantic Ocean with my plane superimposed on it only has read privileges on /dev/autopilot :).

    --
    Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
  6. Re:Slashdotted already? by linuxmop · · Score: 5, Funny

    So an article about hacking into insecure software is hosted on a site that displays information about its internals whenever there's high load... Fantastic.

  7. TFA? by Pikoro · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wow, 5 entire copies of TFA in the comments so far... Do you people not browse the comments before you post?

    Carefull, this may encourage people to actually RTFA...

    --
    "Freedom in the USA is not the ability to do what you want. It is the ability to stop others from doing what THEY want"
  8. Re:Err by Harmonious+Botch · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well, gee. I hope that that little map of the Atlantic Ocean with my plane superimposed on it only has read privileges on /dev/autopilot :). Load a copy of flight simulator, and find out for sure.
  9. Okay by Mathness · · Score: 4, Funny

    Okay, who entered the number 5 and kept pushing +? Congratulation, you just crashed the server.

    --
    Carbon based humanoid in training.
  10. Some of these systems run Linux, and how I got bla by Samarian+Hillbilly · · Score: 5, Funny

    I was coming back from a conference wearing a hat with a promenent penguin on it, when our in-flight system crashed. As it was re-booting it was obvious to some of the more tech-minded passengers that it was running through the Linux boot sequence. I started hearing calls of "lynch the guy with the penguin hat", from the seats behind me...

  11. Re:Err by Bronster · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, in your case it's obviously not even an 081 IQ or you would have mastered simple string reversal...

  12. cookie monster by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Today, Sesame Street was brought down by the number 5"

  13. Re:Similar Crash by Marcos+Eliziario · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bad Man, Bad!
    Now wait for the folks from IFEAA (IFE Association of America) to send their lawyers at you branding copies of the DMCA and calling you a pirate.

    --
    Your ad could be here!
  14. Re:I once crashed a bowling alley.... by innocent_white_lamb · · Score: 4, Funny

    The bowling alley here runs their scoring systems on Amigas. No kidding. The guy who runs the place has a stack of them in the back room for spare parts. I have no idea what he will do when he runs out of spares...

    --
    If you're a zombie and you know it, bite your friend!
  15. Torture! by MWoody · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wait wait wait, so let me get this straight: you have to sit in that seat and stare at the 4 buttons they specifically told you not to push? For hours on end? That is my own vision of a personal hell.

  16. Re:Err by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    You forgot one more category

    IQ 70-85 - idiot that will buy what advertisers tell them to buy. #1 buyer of 4WD SUV's because they believe they will be safer. Believe that they really are the center of the universe. Prime candidates for Middle managenent, Sales and Marketing departments.

  17. Re:Err by mikael · · Score: 3, Funny

    What happens if the plane has to make an emergency landing? Do the authorities shoot it down?

    --
    Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
  18. Re:Err by jackbird · · Score: 3, Funny

    In that case, the landing has definitely caused an emergency.

  19. uh.... yeah.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    You've been on Slashdot for 5 years, and now you start posting, and you come up with one of the least useful posts possible.

    You just summarized TFA's explanation of "what went wrong," but less succinctly and less coherently than TFA.

    Way to go.

  20. Re:Err by Unnngh! · · Score: 4, Funny

    Once the number in the Tetris game rolls over to -128, the plane is supposed to go down by itself. If the authorities can guide the falling plane to land perfectly between the high rise and the parking garage, they will clear the row and move on to the next level...