Hackers can bring ships and planes to a grinding halt. And it could become much more common

By Sam Shead, CNBC

Armed with little more than a computer, hackers are increasingly setting their sights on some of the biggest things that humans can build.

Vast container ships and chunky freight planes — essential in today’s global economy — can now be brought to a halt by a new generation of code warriors.

“The reality is that an aeroplane or vessel, like any digital system, can be hacked,” David Emm, a principal security researcher at cyber firm Kaspersky, told CNBC.

Indeed, this was proven by the U.S. government during a “pen-test” exercise on a Boeing aircraft in 2019.


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