Lawmaker questions airlines on cybersecurity policy
Thursday, 03 Dec, 2015
0
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.
TravelMole Editorial Team
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.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
AirlineRatings reveals world's safest airline rankings for 2026
Vietnam warns airlines of possible flight reductions amid jet fuel shortages
Fliggy opens AI-powered travel bookings and developer tools