Security researchers said on Friday that a digital vulnerability in the computers systems used on some Boeing Co aircraft that could have allowed malicious hackers to modify data and cause pilots to make dangerous miscalculations has been fixed.
Older versions of a digital tool used to calculate landing and take-off speeds on some aircraft could be tampered with by hackers who have direct access to an Electronic Flight Bag, or EFB, a tablet device used by pilots to plan flights, cybersecurity firm Pen Test Partners said in a report.
The report said that if data modification occurs and the crew's required cross check or verification process is not detected, an aircraft may land too short, or take off at incorrect speeds, resulting in a tail strike or runway excursion.
Boeing released a software update to address the issue, but it didn't know of any airplane that had been affected by the issue.
Alex Lomas, a security consultant at Pen Test Partners, said the likelihood of this impacting flight safety is incredibly low. Pilots are trained to handle unusual situations.