US Government Accountability Office finds gaps in FAA air traffic control networks - report

Airline Industry Information, Sept 27, 2005

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) thinks that the high-tech networks that link key parts of the country's air traffic control system are vulnerable to hackers and others who are familiar with the way software works.

Updating a report from 2000, the agency said that the networks lack important controls and are potentially vulnerable. The GAO disclosed gaps that include outdated security plans and insufficient training. It also asked whether the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would be able to detect intruders in the networks and be able to maintain the system in the event of a security breach, Reuters reported.

The FAA has sufficient controls in place all over the US and the investigation was too narrow, FAA spokesman Greg Martin said in response to the information from the GAO. Martin also said that any vulnerability in the system is countered by several redundancies as well as other built-in controls.

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