Lawmaker questions airlines on cybersecurity policy
Thursday, 03 Dec, 2015
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A lawmaker is demanding to know what cybersecurity protections airlines have in place for operations in the air and on the ground.
Senator Edward J. Markey has sent out letters to a dozen US carrier and plane makers Airbus and Boeing requesting details on existing firewalls to prevent cyber attacks and how frequently airlines conduct cybersecurity stress tests on planes’ onboard computer systems.
Markey also wants to know what measures are being planned for carriers to keep one step ahead of cyber crime or potential ‘cyber terrorism’ and records on any attempted or successful cyber intrusions.
The letter was sent to executives at American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest, United Airlines, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, Spirit, Frontier, Hawaiian Airlines, Allegiant Air, Virgin America, and Sun Country Airlines.
"As new technologies continue to enhance all aspects of the airline industry, airplanes and airline operations have become increasingly interconnected. As we’ve witnessed recently in the automobile industry, I am concerned that these technologies may also pose great threats to our security, privacy, and economy," Markey wrote.
In the letter Markey cited recent IT outages suffered by several carriers including Southwest Airlines, American , Spirit, Alaska and United Airlines, which have all been attributed to vague ‘technical glitches.’
"These recent examples highlight just some of the potential vulnerabilities airlines already face. As technology rapidly continues to advance, we must all work to ensure that the airline industry remains vigilant in protecting its aircraft and systems from cybersecurity breaches and attacks."
Earlier this year security researcher Chris Roberts claimed he successfully hacked into in-flight entertainment systems as a passenger on several flights.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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