Aviation Safety at Risk, Report Finds

Lapses in computer security have put the safety of U.S. skies at risk, according to a congressional report. Investigators said “serious and pervasive problems” plagued the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency that runs the nation’s air traffic control system and oversees its airlines and airports. “While [the] FAA is working to address computer security weaknesses, its progress has been slow in key areas,” the report from the General Accounting Office said. Until the agency puts itself through the comprehensive measures suggested by the GAO, it will continue to have “undue exposure to intrusions and malicious attacks on its facilities, information and resources,” the report says. Jane Garvey, the agency’s head, pointed to the improvements that have come after a 10-month GAO investigation.