Comment on Dutch Defence Secretary Boldly Claims F-35 Software Could Be 'Jailbroken'
AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 3 weeks ago
The problem is not a hypothetical kill switch (which is unlikely in a fighter aircraft, as there’s no reliable way of having a back door only the good guys can use, and any possibility of enemy hackers pwning your jets is a nightmare scenario). It’s the F35 being designed as the tip of a very long spear, with most of it being in the US. There’s a lot of support infrastructure one requires, and mitigating dependencies on the US would involve replacing that, at considerable expense.
It’s not impossible, though it’s debatable whether it makes more sense than developing your own fighter instead.
supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 3 weeks ago
Wait, do you think they would not do that simply because it is a bad idea?
AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 3 weeks ago
I can imagine the Trump administration ordering a kill switch to be put into the export version, explicitly disregarding any concerns. I can also imagine the kill switch being vibe coded by some Big Balls-style bros on secondment from one of Musk’s companies, and North Korean hackers finding it immediately.
Psaldorn@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Imagine the stock price once one her is confirmed hacked/kill switched. Every global sky using the platform stops using it and the maintenance contracts and buy orders are cancelled.
Any defence company would refuse to build something that, if actually used, destroys the company.
It didn’t stop then releasing a software update at any time that could do the same though, so… still a sort of valid fear, if international relations were already crumbling and the order book was empty etc