Schumer: FAA must upgrade computer security against hackers

(AP) -- Sen. Charles Schumer is calling for upgrades to the computer systems used by the nation's air traffic controllers after a report found vulnerabilities to hackers. The New York Democrat says

News 12 Staff

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Mar 9, 2015, 5:09 PM

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Updated 3,579 days ago

(AP) -- Sen. Charles Schumer is calling for upgrades to the computer systems used by the nation's air traffic controllers after a report found vulnerabilities to hackers.

The New York Democrat says Sunday that has written to the Federal Aviation Administration to urge the agency to immediately implement several security upgrades to protect the systems.

Schumer cited a Government Accountability Office report released last week that found several weaknesses in the computer system's handling of sensitive data and its firewall security.

He says the vulnerabilities raise the possibility that hackers could take the air traffic control system off-line while thousands of planes are in the air across the nation.