The point was that the bad guys were spoofing multiple targets on TCAS. Thus it would be useless, or telling out to resolve conflicts that do to really exist.

I am a pilot, and understand navigation systems, which was why I said the bad guys would want to jam GPS, VOR, NDBs, ILS/MLS, as well as old fashioned COM frequencies. This would leave only dead reckoning... Given pilotage is worthless is actual IMC.

I still think it would be plausible... The regs only require enough fuel to reach your primary airport, your alternate, plus 45 mins. Winds aloft forecasts are not always accurate and many a plane has landed without a 45 min reserve. I am not so sure that you could shut such a jamming system down if it were well organized. For one, the bad guys could have multiple jammers making it difficult to locate them, and more time consuming to shut them down. One or more of the jammers could be from another aircraft, requiring it to be located as airborne, and then found without the overcrowded radar, and then dealt with...

One could also place the jammers in crowded areas, making them impossible to target with missiles without a lot of collateral damage.

All that being said this is much more likely a good plot for the next (or a previous) Die Hard movie than a real hard core terrorist plan. But simply frightening the flying public for a mere 5 minutes would be enough to cause millions in economic losses for the already hurting airlines.

I beg to differ... Both the TRACON (or tower) radar, and the jetliner TCAS radar could be spoofed with multiple (like hundreds or thousands if need be) targets. How will the TRACON or TCAS software handle this many targets? It must drop some of them. Which ones should it drop? VFR targets? Targets not in the IFR system? What if bad guy spoofs the same code as existing targets (which he can read himself)? Eventually the real targets must get lost.

Are there ways to handle this? Yes, old school "strips," and greater separation manually... But what if the controllers can't find the real targets? In VFR conditions everyone must see and avoid anyway, and IFR flights would probably have to revert to VFR if in VMC. But what of a bunch of IFR flights in actual IMC? TCAS you say? What if said bad guy could spoof TCAS as well? TCAS would likely handle the huge amount of targets even worse than the TRACON software (might even crash... in the software sense). Add a power stuck mic to jam up all the COMM frequencies and you cause a lot of trouble indeed. Pilots must follow a discreet set up rules in this case, but they are not perfect in that they cannot help a jetliner that has had a headwind the whole way, and is low on fuel with now opportunities to make it to a VMC field.

I'm just saying I believe with enough resources it could be done. Create a ton of fake targets near a busy airport in bad weather. Jam all COM frequencies. Jam GPS, Jam the ILS/MLS. Jam the VOR signals, and any remaining NDBs. It may not lead to loss of life if the bad weather was not too far widespread (such that IFR flights could proceed to VMC and land VFR), but either way it would cause a lot of monetary damage, and a lot of terror in the flying public...

Encryption would be a very good thing for ADS-B. As we update the system from old school mode C, we might as well be countering these things.

All have been "modified" by grafting or cloning... How evil...

Just show your woman Slashdot... Works every time.

Obviously...

Fried cats are tasty, nutritious, and go well with ketchup!

Seriously, I would be a little concerned. Since they create those no-fly lists, etc. from all over the place, even the internet...

Just put your name down on the list of travelers who get the full Monty of invasive security theatre, er... screening... I hear the TSA has hired a new batch of proctologists just for the petition signers...

OP is obviously single... Get married... Then you will learn about making beds... (Might learn about making babies too...)

When will people realixe that all this "tax the corporations" bullshit just means the costs of those taxes get passed on to the consumer... Though it can lead to people spending their money on something else (I.e. tax gas to encourage public transit), It is still always taxing the little guy...

Kofi Annan can Kiss My Bits!

Not guilty, your honor. My client didn't kill that person of [insert any religion] faith because he has been taught that his faith is the only true faith. No, my client is just severely ill, mentally so...

That is because so many Catholics become fed up with that sect and leave: 10% of the US population is ex-catholic... http://pewresearch.org/databank/dailynumber/?NumberID=494 Perhaps birth control/population growth played a role... I find it sad that people on /. down-modded the original post. I thought most of us were a little more scientific, and a little less fanatical... But that is the thing with religion... you aren't allowed to question it...

How greedy must a religion be to try to breed more members by banning birth control when we have soaring population growth? Makes me think that the leaders of churches banning birth control or some of the most morally corrupt people on the planet for all the unwanted births they have caused.