TSA Planning New Cybersecurity Rules for Aviation Following Pro-Russia Attack

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a series of new cybersecurity requirements for critical aviation systems after several airport websites in the United States were hit with cyberattacks on Monday.

According to Reuters.com, TSA officials said the cyberattacks did not “disrupt airport operations or access to information,” but it would add “performance-based cybersecurity requirements for critical aviation systems” to avoid a similar situation in the future.

The government agency previously “updated its aviation security programs to require airport and airline operators designate a cybersecurity coordinator and report cybersecurity incidents, conduct a cybersecurity assessment, and develop remediation measures and incident response plans.”

A spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that “projects that have not appropriately considered and addressed physical and cyber security and resilience will be required to do so before receiving funds for construction.”

Monday’s targeted cyberattacks were attributed to a pro-Russian hacker group, dubbed Killnet, and denied public access to customer-facing websites. The targeted systems did not include air traffic control, internal airline communications, coordination or security.

The attack occurred within the Russian Federation and impacted over 12 airport websites, starting at around 3 a.m. Eastern Time when officials at LaGuardia Airport first reported an incident. Killnet posted a list of websites for 49 airports and other air travel sites, most of them in the U.S., as its latest targets.