The F-35 fighter jet manufactured by Lockheed Martin can reportedly be “jailbroken akin to an iPhone,” asserted Gijs Tuinman, the Netherlands’ defense secretary.
During a podcast interview, Tuinman responded to inquiries regarding the potential for European forces to modify the aircraft’s software independently of U.S. permission, should America choose to withdraw as an ally.
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Tuinman articulated on BNR’s Boekestijn en De Wijk show (translated from Dutch), stating, “The F-35 is indeed a collaborative venture. The British manufacture the Rolls-Royce engines, which are indispensable even to the Americans. Nevertheless, irrespective of shared dependencies leading to software enhancements, the F-35, in its current form, outperforms many other fighter variants.”
“If, against all odds, an upgrade is desired, I’ll express something I probably shouldn’t: you can jailbreak an F-35 just as you would an iPhone.”
While Tuinman refrained from providing details on this assertion, it implies that European forces operating F-35 fleets might retain the ability to manage their aircraft’s software autonomously, independent of Lockheed Martin’s oversight.
The Register sought commentary from the aerospace firm regarding Tuinman’s statement, but they redirected inquiries to the U.S. government, which has yet to respond.
One individual familiar with aircraft technology, Ken Munro, from Pen Test Partners, noted that while he lacks specific knowledge of the F-35, Tuinman’s insinuation was not particularly shocking. However, he emphasized that without physical access to a fighter jet, the likelihood of a jailbreak being publicized remains remarkably low.
“Unlike consumer devices like the iPhone, which are readily available to researchers and thus subject to scrutiny, acquiring an F-35 is not as straightforward,” he explained. “The high barrier for researchers and hackers means that military hardware escapes the kind of examination that could reveal vulnerabilities.
Consequently, we rely heavily on defense contractors to ensure security from the outset. The absence of a research community investigating these issues means that inadvertent security gaps are less likely to be detected. Innovative attacks also become improbable, as researchers lack accessibility to necessary hardware.”
“Furthermore, there exists a commercial incentive to uncover jailbreaks within consumer products such as the iPhone.”
Another factor contributing to the complexities surrounding the jailbreaking of an F-35 is the manner in which its software is administered.
According to a video released by Lockheed Martin in 2017, the F-35 Lightning II’s software management occurs via the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS).
ALIS encompasses various applications to facilitate fleet management and access an aircraft’s technical details. Software updates are dispatched through service packs, akin to major updates for typical software, occurring approximately every one to two years.
Israel stands as the sole nation to have negotiated an arrangement with Lockheed Martin, permitting it to operate its own software on the F-35I fleet.
Tuinman’s remarks arise nearly a year after Joachim Schranzhofer, communications head at German defense contractor Hensoldt, raised alarms regarding the potential for the U.S. to remotely disable entire European fleets.
In a discussion with Bild, he suggested that the concept of a remote “kill switch” was “more than mere rumor,” particularly in the context of U.S. military aid delays to Ukraine, which had received F-16 aircraft.
This statement catalyzed broader apprehensions across Europe regarding U.S. control over F-35 aircraft and their related software updates.
Portugal had already canceled its procurement initiatives for F-35s due to political anxieties in the U.S., while Tussell data indicated a shifting UK defense budget increasingly prioritizing European interests over American ones.
Source link: Theregister.com.
