FAA ADVISORY BODY RECOMMENDS CYBER SECURITY MEASURES

October 17, 2016

The FAA’s top technical advisory group adopted language on September 22, 2016 seeking to ensure cyber security protections will be incorporated into all future industry-wide standards affecting everything from aircraft design to flight operations and maintenance practices. The move by the FAA stops short of mandating detailed engineering requirements or safeguards, however, which are reserved for FAA-created committees of experts focused on drafting specific standards for individual industry segments. The decision also means that cyber issues must now be considered by manufacturers, carriers, maintenance facilities and airports, who will be required to include cyber security factors in routine activities. The guidelines will apply to all aviation standards that ultimately become regulations, advisories or guidance documents adopted by the FAA.

Cyber security concerns have escalated throughout the aviation industry, with U.S. and European regulators scrambling to coordinate efforts against cyber security attacks. A report by the technical advisory group, which has yet to be released, is being called a drafting guide for performance standards, and lists “signal detection spoofing capabilities” as one technique to guard against potential cyber-attacks. Such features typically relate to new cockpit-warning systems that can alert pilots of unauthorized digital transmissions.

If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com, 202-659-6622) or Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com, 202-659-6665).

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