Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

FAA's Air-Traffic Networks Susceptible to Hackers

by Warren Riddle on May 8, 2009 at 09:20 AM

Air travel just became even more stressful, as a recent government study reveals that the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) air-traffic control system faces significant threats from cyber-terrorists. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FAA plans to modernize its control systems over the next 15 years, thanks in part to $20 billion of funding, but the technological adaptations are apparently exposing vulnerabilities to hackers.

The FAA uses two technical support systems -- an administrative system, primarily used for corporate purposes, and an operational system, which is used for air-traffic control. Although FAA spokesperson Laura Brown told the WSJ that one network cannot be used to access the other, security tests revealed 763 "high risk" administrative weaknesses.





Officials believe hackers could use these weaknesses to access the control system. According to the WSJ, one successful attack was orchestrated last year, as hackers accessed FAA computers in Alaska, stealing 40,000 system passwords and installing malicious codes.

Tom Kellermann, vice president of Core Security Technologies, believes the systems' weaknesses could lead to a scenario reminiscent of a plot line from the television show '24,' in which terrorists seize command of the FAA's air-traffic control and crash planes. Well, as long as we have Jack Bauer on the case... aww, crap. [From: The Wall Street Journal]

Tags: FAA, federal aviation administration, FederalAviationAdministration, hackers, studies, top, travel

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular