[Peetwo]

"K" you'll be pleased to know that Johnny Depp's dogs "Boo" & "Pistol" have safely left the country for home...

Ps I do love the Pirates of the Caribbean spoof poohtube video..

On another possibly (somewhat) MH370 related story..   Overnight the local MSM  carried several versions of this story (Courtesy of SMH - Simply Marvellous Horse-pooh):

Airlines sceptical commercial planes can be 'hacked'


Date May 18, 2015 - 12:05AM

Security researcher, Chris Roberts, told FBI agents that he'd hijacked an aircraft's thrust management computer and briefly altered its course. Photo: Fox News

{Murky} Figures  in the Australian aviation industry are sceptical whether it is possible to 'hack in' to the cockpit of a plane, after an American man allegedly told the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) he had taken control of a plane's engines with his laptop.

US security researcher Chris Roberts had accessed the controls of up to 20 planes over three years by connecting his computer to the control panel for the in-flight entertainment system, an FBI warrant says.

Once inside the plane's system, the document says, he was able to access information from the cockpit on three models of Boeing aircraft and the Airbus A320, and in one case sent a command to the engine's thruster that caused the plane to move sideways.
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Last month Roberts' computers were seized and he was escorted off a United Airlines flight after he posted a tweet suggesting he could cause passenger oxygen masks to drop. 

But despite Roberts' assurances his only motivation in researching vulnerabilities in aircrafts was to improve security, Australian aviators have doubts the "hack" he detailed to the FBI works.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority, a government agency which oversees the safety of Australian aircraft, said the prospect of remotely controlling a plane was "unrealistic".

"I've never heard of anything like this in Australia," said the agency's manager of corporate communications, Peter Gibson.

"Frankly the story seems a little unrealistic, but without comprehensive checking [it is] hard to say."

Any remedy to the purported security flaw was the responsibility of plane manufacturers, not local authorities, Mr Gibson said.

"These are issues that would be addressed by the manufacturers of the aircraft – Boeing and Airbus – in conjunction with the aviation regulators that first certified the aircraft – the FAA and EASA."

Steve Jackson, Qantas Group head of security, facilitation and resilience, said the airline had "extremely stringent" measures in places that were "more than enough" to stop someone hacking in.

"Like everything we do, safety and security are our top priorities," Mr Jackson said.

"The Qantas Group has extremely stringent security measures in place which are continually reviewed as part of normal business practice – these are measures that are more than enough to mitigate any attempt at remote interference with aircraft systems.

"The Qantas Group complies with, and in many cases exceeds, all regulatory requirements and manufacturers' recommendations when it comes to the safety and security of our fleet."

Budget airline Tigerair Australia does not have in-flight entertainment equipment, so the airline would not comment on the hacking specifically, but said they also had high standards of security.

"Tigerair Australia has strict and comprehensive procedures in place to ensure the highest levels of safety and security in-flight are maintained at all times," a spokeswoman said.
Virgin Australia has been contacted for comment.

{Comment: I see PG - Fort Fumble's (CASA) 20+ year GWM resident mouthpiece - who is also apparently an aviation cyber-security expert..  - is finally getting some air time again...hmm wonder if he is listed for the chop?? - Gobbles??} 

Must be a slow news day...

MTF...P2