Spanair 5022 (from Wikipedia)
It has been over 2 years since Spanair Flight 5022 crashed, killing 154 people. MSNBC recently released this article, which mentions that undetected malware could be to blame. As the world becomes more technology dependent, we need to take more steps to ensure safety. It is simply not responsible to allow systems to be interconnected without putting appropriate safeguards in place.
This incident is emerging proof that we live in a world where security sensors and checks on computer systems could mean the difference between life and death. Even in a perfect world (without malware and threats) we would still need to worry about human error and software malfunction.
Can we stop all malware? No. But we can take steps to minimize the impact of malware and reduce risk wherever possible. Monitors and machines that support life or even affect life are obviously those with the highest risk and should operate under the most stringent integrity checks.
In this particular case, the medium with the malevolent payload was a USB thumb-drive. This form of removable media could have been infected with malware, thus infecting the entire system. This leads us to ask: What are the security policies in place at this airline? What are the security policies at any establishment where lives are at risk?
This is a great time to reflect back on the nature of your own organization and think about the systems that you are running. Does your computer network handle systems that could harm others? Does it hold private or confidential data about your company or more importantly, your customers? If so, it might be wise to consider the risks associated with introducing foreign media onto the network.
Spanair 5022 (from Wikipedia)
Spanair 5022 (from Wikipedia)
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Intriguing!