US Government Denies Hacker Attack, Attributes Air Blackout to Cable Change
In a press conference this Saturday (14), US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy attributed the air blackout to a failure during cable replacement.
TL;DR
- US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated the FAA's total suspension of takeoffs was not due to a cyberattack.
- The incident was attributed to failures in an obsolete air system and a service provider not meeting expectations.
- The problem began during routine maintenance by L3Harris to replace old copper wiring with fiber optics, potentially causing system saturation.
- Investigations are underway to determine if the cause was human error or faulty equipment from L3Harris.
- The government has requested $30.1 billion from Congress to modernize air infrastructure.
- FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford confirmed there is no evidence of malicious intent and ruled out any connection to a new AI system.
- Over 4,300 flights were canceled and 3,900 were delayed as a result of the suspension.