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DEF CON crowd suspected in fake-hotspot attack on Delta flight
Ars Technica • • business
Key Points:
- Passengers on Delta flight 591 from Las Vegas to Atlanta allegedly spoofed the onboard Wi-Fi by creating a fake hotspot called “Delta WiFi Fast,” which included a phishing page designed to steal personal credentials.
- The incident occurred shortly after the DEF CON security conference in Las Vegas and was first reported through air-to-ground message monitoring on social media.
- Delta confirmed the presence of an unauthorized Wi-Fi network onboard but stated that flight safety was never compromised and no aircraft systems were affected; the actual onboard Wi-Fi was disabled for 30 minutes.
- The FBI is investigating the incident, with no arrests made and no FBI agents meeting the flight upon arrival; local police have deferred inquiries to the FBI.
- The technique used, known as an “evil twin” attack, is a known cybersecurity threat involving fake Wi-Fi networks to capture sensitive information.
