Flights halted at three US airports as watchdog warns over hacking threat
Senator Ron Wyden calls for swift action after GAO report finds systems guiding US aircraft vulnerable to interference
TL;DR
- Flights were halted at Newark Liberty International, Philadelphia International, and Teterboro airports due to a radio equipment problem affecting specific frequencies.
- A GAO report found that the FAA has not finished risk assessments or updated security documentation for threats like spoofing, jamming, and other attacks on radio spectrum systems.
- The FAA lacks a real-time system to detect these threats, only investigating incidents after they are reported.
- Hackers could potentially send fraudulent messages to aircraft, causing delays, disrupting airspace, or creating safety risks.
- Two systems used for text messaging aircraft predate modern cybersecurity standards and lack encryption.
- Senator Ron Wyden warned of a "major threat" to national security and called for the FAA to issue new, secure communication standards.
- The GAO made nine recommendations, including risk assessments and continuous monitoring, which the Department of Transportation agreed to.
- The disruption follows previous issues around Newark, including a controller screen outage in April 2025.
- The GAO also noted instances of jamming and spoofing abroad, with Estonia and Finland accusing Russia of interfering with satellite navigation.