The next plane disaster could be caused by Sony-style hackers — possibly putting passengers in mid-flight peril.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s weak cyber security leaves wide open the possibility of attacks on the National Air Traffic Control System and Sen. Charles Schumer is demanding “immediate action.”
“If the Sony hacking was bad, imagine how much worse the hacking of the FAA computer system could be with thousands of planes in the air,” Schumer said Sunday at a press conference.
“Sophisticated terrorists could even steer planes into one another. The threat of a cybercriminal taking over this system makes your stomach sink,” he added.
A Government Accountability Office report released last week made 17 recommendations and 168 specific actions the federal agency needs to take to protect itself. The report found that the main vulnerabilities stem from a need to encrypt sensitive data, beef up firewall security and test the servers.
“Cost is not the issue here, the issue is sophistication,” Schumer said.
Sony was the victim of a massive cyber attack last year that resulted in the release of dozens of damning emails, details about upcoming big blockbusters and personal information of the entertainment company’s employees.