Delta investigating after someone set up fake Wi-Fi network mid-flight

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Delta investigating after someone set up fake Wi-Fi network mid-flight

TechCrunch · 2 hours ago

Delta Air Lines is investigating an incident in which a passenger allegedly set up a fake Wi-Fi network on a flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta on Monday, prompting the pilots to alert air traffic control. Delta said flight safety was never compromised and no aircraft systems were affected, but the crew disabled the plane's genuine in-flight Wi-Fi for about 30 minutes as a precaution while the situation was assessed.

The pilots described the fake network as a "scam Wi-Fi" designed to impersonate the aircraft's legitimate service, and noted that some passengers aboard had come from cybersecurity conferences held in Las Vegas the previous week, though it remains unclear who was responsible or what their intent was. Such spoofed networks can easily be created with commercially available tools such as a Wi-Fi Pineapple, typically used by security professionals or hobbyists. Delta is working with federal law enforcement and aviation regulators, though the FAA said it had not yet received a formal report and the FBI did not immediately comment.

  • Passenger allegedly created fake Wi-Fi network on a Delta flight
  • Crew disabled real in-flight Wi-Fi for about 30 minutes as precaution
  • Delta says safety unaffected; investigation ongoing with federal authorities

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