A VITAL
Boeing computer network has been infected with a
WannaCry virus affecting production equipment that may “spread to airplane software” prompting fears that flying may not be safe, it has been reported.
Boeing is understood to have been hit by the WannaCry virus prompting its chief engineer, Mike VanderWel, to send out a company memo calling for “All hands on deck”.
Mr VanderWel said: “It is metastasising rapidly out of North Charleston and I just heard 777 (automated spar assembly tools) may have gone down.”
The chief engineer also expressed his worries about the virus “spreading to airplane software”, but at the moment it is believed the hack has been contained to production only.
The Boeing chief engineer emphasised that a “battery-like response” was needed to fix the problem.
He added that he was “on a call with just about every VP in Boeing”.
Mr VanderWel’s statement was referencing the issue of battery fire the company experience back in 2013 that plagued 787 Dreamliner planes.
This particular instance resulted in the grounding of planes and forced others to make emergency landings.
Boeing Airplanes has since released a statement stating that initial reports of the malware infection were “overstated” and “inaccurate”.
In a tweet, company said: “A number of articles on a malware disruption are overstated and inaccurate. Our cybersecurity operations center detected a limited intrusion of malware that affected a small number of systems.
“Remediations were applied and this is not a production or delivery issue.”
Texas-based cyber threat analyst Mitchell Edwards explained that an updated WannaCry system was likely being used.
He added that the threat is unlikely to severely impact the company.
Mr Edwards remarked: “Obviously, Boeing isn’t going to be running its entire production network on Windows.
“I hope not. So it’s likely a limited infection.”
The analyst also stated that a “nightmare scenario” of planes being hit with a
ransomware attack during a flight was “hysteria”.
He went on: “The plane would have to have been connected to an infected system.
“The chances are pretty minimal.”
WannaCry was responsible for a worldwide cyber attack in May last year that targeted computer terminals running Windows.
More than 33 per cent of NHS trusts in England were severely disrupted by the devastating hack.
At least 6,900 appointments were cancelled as terminals were hit with the malware.
Following the virus, the US, UK and Australia all pointed the finger at North Korea for the attack.
Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad condemned the hack and urged action to “combat destructive criminal use of cyber space”.
In December, he stated: “The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre assesses it is highly likely that North Korean actors known as the Lazarus Group were behind the WannaCry ransomware campaign – one of the most significant to hit the UK in terms of scale and disruption.
“We condemn these actions and commit ourselves to working with all responsible states to combat destructive criminal use of cyber space.
“The indiscriminate use of the WannaCry ransomware demonstrates North Korean actors using their cyber programme to circumvent sanctions.
“International law applies online as it does offline. The United Kingdom is determined to identify, pursue and respond to malicious cyber activity regardless of where it originates, imposing costs on those who wish to attack us in cyberspace.
“We are committed to strengthening coordinated international efforts to uphold a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace.”