Delta Air Lines is investigating an incident aboard Flight 591 on August 10 — a Las Vegas-to-Atlanta route that carried passengers returning from the DEF CON 34 hacker conference. According to the airline, an unauthorized Wi-Fi network appeared on the aircraft that was not provided, operated, or supplied by Delta. After the cabin crew identified the network, they deactivated Wi-Fi service on the aircraft for roughly 30 minutes. Delta confirmed to BleepingComputer that the incident did not affect the safety of passengers or aircraft operating systems, and that it is coordinating with federal law enforcement and aviation regulators.
Online reports from passengers on the flight allege that several DEF CON attendees carried out a Wi-Fi deauthentication attack — a technique where an attacker sends forged packets that appear to come from the legitimate wireless access point, instructing connected devices to disconnect. By repeatedly sending these forged frames, an attacker can force all nearby devices off the network, effectively turning the in-flight Wi-Fi into an unusable service for everyone else on the plane. DEF CON is the world’s largest hacker conference, drawing tens of thousands of security researchers, penetration testers, and cybersecurity professionals each year. The proximity of a deauthentication incident to a DEF CON flight is attention-grabbing, but it’s worth noting that no charges have been announced and the investigation is ongoing. Wireless deauthentication attacks are illegal in many jurisdictions when used to disrupt a service intentionally.