The US government fears it’s only “a matter of time” before an airliner is hacked midflight leading to a potentially “catastrophic disaster.”

Security experts are now reportedly in a race against time to track down and protect security weaknesses in the software of commercial jet fleets.

“Potential of catastrophic disaster is inherently greater in an airborne vehicle,” official documents obtained by Motherboard read. “[It’s] a matter of time before a cybersecurity breach on an airline occurs.”

In 2016, a Department of Homeland Security team successfully hacked a Boeing 757 by using radio frequency communications.

Robert Hickey, from the Cyber Security Division of the DHS, said his team had “accomplished a remote, non-cooperative penetration.”

Hickey revealed the details during a speech at the CyberSat Summit in Virginia, after the successful hacking.

He said: “We got the airplane on September 19, 2016. Two days later, I was successful in accomplishing a remote, non-cooperative, penetration.

“[Which] means I didn’t have anybody touching the airplane, I didn’t have an insider threat. I stood off using typical stuff that could get through security and we were able to establish a presence on the systems of the aircraft.”

Hickey said his team used a combination of radio frequency communication to hack into the craft, but exact details of the breach remain top secret.

Among the new findings is the claim most commercial fleets do not have the necessary cyber security protections to repel hackers.

“Today’s commercial aviation backbone is built upon a network of trust; most commercial aircraft currently in use have little to no cyber protections in place,” the DHS report obtained by Motherboard said.

In a statement, the DHS said it “takes aviation cyber security seriously and works with both researchers and vendors to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in the aviation sector.”

“The aviation industry, including manufacturers and airlines, has invested heavily in cybersecurity and built robust testing and maintenance procedures to manage risks.”