Hackers Could Try to Take Over a Military Aircraft; Can a Cyber Shuffle Stop Them?

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Chris Jenkins sits in front of a whiteboard with the original sketch for the moving target defense idea for which he is the team lead. The project looks to make the computer bus on space and aircraft used around the world less vulnerable to cyber attack (photo by Craig Fritz, https://newsreleases.sandia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CF61407.jpg).
Chris Jenkins sits in front of a whiteboard with the original sketch for the moving target defense idea for which he is the team lead. The project looks to make the computer bus on space and aircraft used around the world less vulnerable to cyber attack (photo by Craig Fritz, https://newsreleases.sandia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CF61407.jpg).

March 28, 2023 | Originally published by Sandia on February 27, 2023

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A cybersecurity technique that shuffles network addresses like a blackjack dealer shuffles playing cards could effectively befuddle hackers gambling for control of a military jet, commercial airliner, or spacecraft, according to new research. However, the research also shows these defenses must be designed to counter increasingly sophisticated algorithms used to break them.

Many aircraft, spacecraft, and weapons systems have an onboard computer network known as military standard 1553, commonly referred to as MIL-STD-1553, or even just 1553. The network is a tried-and-true protocol for letting systems like radar, flight controls, and the heads-up display talk to each other.

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