Agency: Flight systems of small planes can be hacked
The Department of Homeland Security issued a security alert Tuesday for small planes, warning that modern flight systems are vulnerable to hacking if someone manages to gain physical access to the aircraft.
An alert from the DHS critical infrastructure computer emergency response team recommends that plane owners ensure they restrict unauthorized physical access to their aircraft until the industry develops safeguards to address the issue.
The cybersecurity firm, Rapid7, found that an attacker could potentially disrupt electronic messages transmitted across a small plane’s network, for example by attaching a small device to its wiring.
LOS ANGELES —Event organizers should review their emergency plans after a deadly shooting at a California food festival to see if they can make additional safety improvements as the peak of summer and fair season culminates with a series of open-air events that are notoriously difficult to secure, law enforcement experts said.
The weekend shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival killed three — including two children — and wounded a dozen at the three-day event that attracts more than 100,000 people annually to the agricultural community in Northern California.
The festival included a perimeter fence, metal detectors, a bag search and police patrols. Santino William Legan, 19, cut through the fence and opened fire with an Ak-47-style rifle before three officers fatally shot him.
“Anytime you put on a large event with a lot of people you’re always concerned, which is why we try to run a very tight, closed event where there’s, you know, controlled access,” Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said Monday. “Do we think about how we’re going to respond if something were to happen? I would say the answer is yes.”
Experts ticked off a list of ideal precautions: a perimeter fence — or even two — with police patrols, as well as drones, security cameras, social media monitoring, bag checks, metal detectors, limited points of entry and an “overwatch” police unit that monitors the event from a high perch.
“It’s not just OK to secure your perimeter and think you’re safe,” said Michael Downing, a former Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief.
Still, officials said first responders and event coordinators need to balance safety concerns, costs and a welcoming atmosphere for visitors, noting that eventgoers likely do not want to be subjected to extensive screening with X-ray machines and metal detectors.
“You obviously can’t do an event that is set up like an international airport,” said Sheriff Tony Spurlock of Douglas County, Colorado, where the annual county fair is being held this week. “It’s not the kind of environment that we would set up magnetometers at every entrance.”
Brian Higgins, a former Bergen County, New Jersey, police chief, said controlling an event’s perimeter through technology and police is crucial. Although a long line at a single point of entry can pose its own target, limited access means law enforcement can more easily see who is coming in and out.
“Just because it’s a family-friendly event doesn’t mean that something bad can’t happen,” Higgins said.