Wi-Fi on planes opens door to in-flight hacking, warns US watchdog

Modern aircraft increasingly connected to internet, which could potentially lead to hackers seizing control of a plane mid-flight, says GAO

Hackers on commercial flights could now bring down the plane they are on by using the on board Wi-Fi, a US government watchdog has warned.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) does not suggest it would be easy to do but it points out that as airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration attempt to modernise planes and flight tracking with internet-based technology, attackers have a new vulnerability they could exploit.