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Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by elcapitan on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @08:49AM (#11579868)
I found that part much more .. interesting:

> As an example, Hypponen said he had recently spoken to a European aircraft maker that said it cleans the cockpits of its planes every week of malware designed for Android phones. The malware spread to the planes only because factory employees were charging their phones with the USB port in the cockpit.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by TillE on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @08:59AM (#11579952)
The next sentence pretty much confirms my impression that this claim is almost certainly bullshit:

> Because the plane runs a different operating system, nothing would befall it. But it would pass the virus on to other devices that plugged into the charger.

That's just...not how computers work.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by theptip on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @12:22PM (#11581835)
See the recent BadUSB attack [1][2] for how this sort of attack can work; the firmware of the USB microcontroller itself can be infected.

[1] https://srlabs.de/badusb/ [2] http://www.wired.com/2014/07/usb-security/

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by na85 on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @03:57PM (#11583979)
Doesn't badusb have to pwn the host OS to propagate?
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by onetimePete on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @04:05PM (#11584060)
Nope, and reinstalling it wont help it..
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by aaron695 on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @06:18PM (#11585049)
Can work is irrelevant. And mostly wrong, since can is not do.

They claim it is happening.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by jojo3000 on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:15AM (#11580073)
If behind the USB port is some (writeable) data storage (for PDF manuals etc) this is quite possible.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by elcapitan on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:32AM (#11580230)
Or some infectable USB controller is involved.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by seanp2k2 on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:55PM (#11586313)
What on here is able to store malware? https://learn.adafruit.com/minty-boost/parts-list

If the USB chargers in cockpits are any more complex than the above, why?

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by jcrawfordor on Thursday April 28, 2016 @12:23AM (#11586545)
They almost certainly aren't USB chargers. Probably USB ports for inserting thumb drives to update the navigational charts. These kinds of USB ports are [mis]used for charging phones all the time, and the phone can end up being mounted as a mass-storage device.

No idea how the rest of the exploit would work in this scenario though, I have a hard time believing it.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by NickM on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:54AM (#11580428)
I think they mean "because the computers that fly the plane run a different OS than the computers that control the in-flight entertainment". The malware isn't going to cause the plane to crash, but it could still execute and spread itself via those little seat-back touch screens with their USB ports.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by elcapitan on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:25AM (#11580170)
It's true that that scenario is not relevant, but the fact that there is a direct connection between the usb ports for charging stuff and the planes' computer is obviously a point of intrusion for attacks like Stuxnet.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by jessriedel on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:48AM (#11580861)
Might be the case that the USB ports are for interacting with the plane's computers, and the charging being done by the pilots is against the rules.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by reacweb on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:44AM (#11580351)
I think the sentence "But it would pass the virus on to other devices that plugged into the charger." comes from the reporter, showing that he does not understand computers. It is plausible that malwares were copied without being executed.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by eterm on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:54AM (#11580422)
A virus is something that copies itself. If something is copying a virus, it is infected.

So the virus would have to infect both android and the cockpit to spread from phone to cockpit to phone.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by tinco on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:20AM (#11580626)
Not at all, that's like saying floppy disk viruses happened because both PCs and floppy disks were vulnerable. Just imagine the cockpit to be a floppy disk. You plug your phone in, and your infected phone puts a file in the cockpit. Then someone with a vulnerable phone plugs into the cockpit, reads the file and is infected.

Not saying that's how it happened, just that it's possible.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by vetinari on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @11:12AM (#11581091)
The hole in the argument is, why would the second phone read the file and execute it? We are waaaay past autorun.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by tinco on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @11:21AM (#11581175)
Why would the first phone read the file and execute it? ( this is an exercise for the reader, not an actual question )
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by seanp2k2 on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:58PM (#11586319)
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by overcast on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:57AM (#11580455)
Bullshit, I've watched Independence Day. You can easily take down advanced alien warships with some objective-c.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by insulanian on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @03:29PM (#11583737)
Was that really Objective-C?
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by overcast on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @04:07PM (#11584071)
Well it was on a mac laptop :)
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by MichaelBurge on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:07AM (#11580012)
I could maybe understand it if it was a USB hub, and the phones all had a defect that meant rogue USB signals could infect them. So if 2 people plugged into the same hub at the same time, it could spread.

But if the claim is that the virus lie 'dormant' in the uninfectable plane OS, then I can't understand that.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by nitrogen on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @02:32PM (#11583222)
USB devices cannot contact each other, only the master can communicate with the devices on the bus. It is a tree with one device at the root.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by SonicSoul on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:12AM (#11580053)
nice catch. can't help but think of Independence Day when Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith infect alien mothership with a mac virus from a 3.5 floppy which specifically disabled its protective shield. "will give it a cold"

Edit: corrected it's its

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by delecti on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @12:25PM (#11581882)
There's a deleted scene that explains that all of our computer technology has been covertly based on the results of the Area 51 research into the crashed ship. It makes that bit a little less silly.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by vixen99 on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:17AM (#11580095)
'it is protective shield?'. That's what you've written in effect. http://www.merriam-webster.com/video/its-vs-its
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by fao_ on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:53AM (#11580419)
> disabled its protective shield

I think you added an apostrophe by accident, or the poster corrected the mistake.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by SixSigma on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @09:43AM (#11580339)
Callback to 2008 :

Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner passenger jet may have a serious security vulnerability in its onboard computer networks that could allow passengers to access the plane's control systems, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

The computer network in the Dreamliner's passenger compartment, designed to give passengers in-flight internet access, is connected to the plane's control, navigation and communication systems, an FAA report reveals.

Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter wouldn't go into detail about how Boeing is tackling the issue but says it is employing a combination of solutions that involves some physical separation of the networks, known as "air gaps," and software firewalls. Gunter also mentioned other technical solutions, which she said are proprietary and didn't want to discuss in public.

"There are places where the networks are not touching, and there are places where they are," she said.

http://www.wired.com/2008/01/dreamliner-security/

http://cryptome.info/faa010208.htm

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by madaxe_again on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:15AM (#11580599)
It'll be EADS - I've experienced their infosec first hand. Heavy on process and inquisatorial panels - yet they do stuff like emailing parts lists and schematics over the Internet, no protection.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by cm3 on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @01:23PM (#11582453)
Yeah, it's sad that so many people actually use USB ports at airports to charge their devices, without knowing what they are connecting their devices to. I don't expect them to know better, but all their data could be copied, stuff could be modified. Isn't there an adapter which limits the active lines to just what's needed to pass power, no data, or is charging without some data exchange impossible?
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by gpvos on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @02:02PM (#11582891)
The data lines are used for signalling which charging speed the device supports. You can cut them, but then you get the lowest denominator charging specs, which is quite slow.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by hga on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @02:11PM (#11582983)
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by 05 on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @02:57PM (#11583475)
Not a problem if you use iOS9: https://labsblog.f-secure.com/2015/09/09/apple-ios-9-securit... For Android, you can root it and disable USB host functions when locked.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by pm90 on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @08:58AM (#11579936)
What....? Seriously, wtf? Is it really that hard to provide outlets to charge your phone?
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by EliRivers on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:10AM (#11580553)
Or alternatively, how about WTF are you doing plugging your phone into this fucking cockpit? You're here to do your job and if you want to carry your phone around with you in the factory all day that's up to you, but plugging your phone into the fucking cockpit you're meant to be working on will result in demotions, suspensions and unemployment all round.

More politely put, I see no obligation on employers to provide employees with the means to recharge their personal phones :)

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by sgift on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @01:07PM (#11582305)
> More politely put, I see no obligation on employers to provide employees with the means to recharge their personal phones :)

This is a classic "design a better human" problem - sure, you can try to 'persuade' people by threatening them with demotions, suspensions and unemployment. And then you can hope that this will work in every single instance. Or ... you can provide a few usb ports in a convenient location, so people use these instead of the usb port in your multi million dollar cockpit to charge their phones. Take your pick.

For another example decide if it's easier to provide waste bins or to threaten people who litter streets.

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by EliRivers on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @03:00PM (#11583503)
They were working in a cockpit factory. They had many other options for charging their phone in a USB socket, and they still chose to charge it by plugging it into the cockpit. Your solution, in this situation, already existed and people still plugged phones into the cockpit.

Why would they NOT do this, under your system? If I can plug my phone in right where I am, in the cockpit, or somewhere less convenient for me, why would I not just do it where I am, in the cockpit? There are no penalties for it, so why wouldn't I do it?

Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by lmm on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @10:20AM (#11580630)
Following the what, 11 different plug standards commonly in use for power internationally? Or provide a USB port that every phone in the world can use, and is smaller and more efficient to boot. I know which I'd pick.
Re:German nuclear plant infected with computer viruses, oper... by tyingq on Wednesday April 27, 2016 @12:27PM (#11581903)
Anything installed in an aircraft is subject to a regulatory avalanche of paperwork, testing, and approvals.