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Information Technology: New Generations pp 201–211Cite as

Vulnerabilities and Mitigation Methods in the NextGen Air Traffic Control System

Part of the Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing book series (AISC,volume 448)

Abstract

The air traffic control (ATC) systems have been modernizing and standardizing the automation platforms in recent years in order to control increased number of flights. In 2004, FAA started transforming the nation’s ground-based ATC system to a system which uses satellite-based navigation and other advanced technology, called NextGen. The NextGen system deploys Internet Protocol based network to communicate and heavily relies on computerized information system and digital data, which may introduce new vulnerabilities for exploitations. Many vulnerabilities of NextGen stem from the increased interconnection of systems through wireless networks. For instance, a critical part of the NextGen, Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast, which transfers essential information via wireless network without encryption, is an easy target for attackers. There have been some deployments of security measures but still lack in critical system. In this study, we present the potential vulnerabilities of the NextGen ATC systems and their possible solutions.

Keywords:

  • ATC
  • Automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast
  • Data communications
  • System wide information management
  • En route automation modernization and replacement
  • Terminal automation modernization and replacement

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Sachiko Sueki & Yoohwan Kim

Authors
  1. Sachiko Sueki
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  2. Yoohwan Kim
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sachiko Sueki .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. PHASE , Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

    Shahram Latifi

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Sueki, S., Kim, Y. (2016). Vulnerabilities and Mitigation Methods in the NextGen Air Traffic Control System. In: Latifi, S. (eds) Information Technology: New Generations. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 448. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32467-8_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32467-8_19

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32466-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32467-8

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