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ATLANTA - Delta Air Lines is working with federal law enforcement and aviation regulators to investigate an unauthorized Wi-Fi network that appeared aboard a flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta shortly after one of the world's largest hacker conventions wrapped up.
What happened aboard Flight 591
What we know:
Delta Flight 591 was traveling from Las Vegas to Atlanta on Aug. 10 when an unauthorized Wi-Fi network was detected aboard the Boeing 757.
Delta said an initial review determined the network was not provided, operated or supplied by the airline. The cabin crew disabled the aircraft's Wi-Fi functionality for about 30 minutes. The flight was carrying 199 passengers and six crew members. No emergency was declared with air traffic control.
Importantly, Delta says its investigation has not found that the airline itself was hacked.
Messages attributed to the flight crew indicate there were concerns that someone aboard the plane had created a network called "Delta WiFi Fast."
According to the Turbine Traveller, the crew sent a message to air control after becoming concerned that the unauthorized network could be used to scam other passengers.
A subsequent message referenced passengers who had attended a cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas and said the aircraft's Wi-Fi had been jammed while another signal was broadcast.
However, Delta's preliminary findings do not establish who created the network or whether passengers' information was compromised. The airline said the investigation is ongoing.
Delta's full statement
Delta also emphasized that there was no hack of any Delta system, including the aircraft's in-flight Wi-Fi.
What is DEF CON?
The backstory:
The timing of the incident attracted attention because Las Vegas had just hosted DEF CON 34, which ran Aug. 6-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
DEF CON is one of the world's best-known cybersecurity and hacker conferences. It began in 1993 as a small gathering organized by Jeff Moss and has grown into a major annual event attracting cybersecurity professionals, researchers, hackers, government officials and technology enthusiasts.
Despite the term "hacker conference," much of DEF CON focuses on finding vulnerabilities so they can be fixed. Participants compete in hacking contests, attend technical presentations and take part in specialized "villages" devoted to subjects including aviation, automobiles, artificial intelligence, voting systems, telecommunications and industrial infrastructure.
DEF CON's famous Capture the Flag competition, for example, pits teams against one another as they attack competitors' systems while simultaneously defending their own.
Investigation continues
What's next:
In the Flight 591 incident, there is currently no evidence that aircraft operating systems were compromised or that flight safety was threatened.
Delta said determining exactly what happened will take time and that it will work with federal law enforcement and aviation regulators during the investigation.