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Cybersecurity Must Be a Priority at the FAA and Everywhere Else

Think about all the transportation systems connected to the Internet these days.

In my business, we think about SCADA for our critical infrastructure control systems, but think about all the other "critical systems" like your car, trucks on the road, the stoplight systems in towns and cities. As we continue to move toward even more automation and artificial intelligence (AI), having these systems secure becomes hyper-critical. 

The item below is from earlier this year — but we don't want planes falling out of the sky or having trouble in control centers with not knowing where planes are in their flight patterns. There is no "one and done" with cybersecurity.

DOT Watchdog Calls on FAA to Step Up on Cybersecurity
by Kerry Lynch
 — March 25, 2019, 10:36 AM
 
Delays in implementing cybersecurity tools are inhibiting the FAA from remaining up-to-date on its efforts to fully identify and mitigate vulnerabilities, according to a new report from the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). At the request of U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders, the OIG examined the FAA’s progress in meeting cybersecurity enhancements that Congress mandated in the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act adopted in 2016.
 
The OIG found that the FAA has taken significant steps in enhancing security. As required by Congress, the FAA completed a cybersecurity strategic plan, coordinated with other agencies to identify vulnerabilities, and developed a threat model and research and development plan, the OIG said.
Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.