The Federal Aviation Authority has uncovered what would seem to be a fairly major flaw in Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner. Apparently a passenger with a laptop and a bit of cunning could hack into the plane’s crucial systems.

According to the FAA the problems stems from the fact that the entertainment systems on the 787 are connected to the pilots’ computers. Needless to say they’ve asked for some changes to be made before they certify the plane as safe, to prevent someone turning their laptop’s flight simulator into the real thing.

The possible flaws came to light in the Federal Register – a giant list of memos from US government agencies (read the entry in question). Experts say the problem is real, and therefore pretty scary.

In the Times, David Learmount, safety editor of Flight International, says, “The FAA is obviously very concerned about this. It’s not the kind of organisation that fires shots across the bows if it doesn’t think it was needed.”

On Wired, network security analyst Mark Loveless says, “This is serious. This isn’t a desktop computer. It’s controlling the systems that are keeping people from plunging to their deaths. So I hope they are really thinking about how to get this right.”

The 787 is Boeing’s newest passenger plane and, thankfully given this news, there are none carrying passengers yet.

Image: 787 / Boeing