The FBI contends a cybersecurity researcher said he caused an airplane’s engine to climb after hacking its software, according to a court document.

The researcher, Chris Roberts, was questioned by the FBI on April 15 after he wrote a tweet that suggested he was probing aircraft systems on a United Airlines flight he took earlier that day.

The FBI interviewed him after he flew into Syracuse, New York, and seized his electronics. Two days later, the agency then filed an application for a search warrant to examine Roberts’ gear, which has been published in federal court records.

The application contains rich detail describing three of the agency’s interviews with Roberts, who is co-founder and CTO of the security company One World Labs in Colorado. He has not been charged with a crime, although United Airlines banned him from flying on its planes.

It is not clear when the incident involving the airplane’s engine occurred or if the plane might have been in danger as the result of it.

Read the Full Article: Source – Computer World
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2922769/security0/security-researchers-hack-caused-airplane-to-climb-fbi-asserts.html

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