Paper details
Based on 6.5 Discussion Reading and Preparation: A Future Stuxnet, participate in the following
discussion.
Could a Stuxnet-type attack be possible in the aviation sector? Why or why not?
If it did happen, what would happen if Stuxnet-like malware was unleashed on an aviation safety-critical
application and routine safety applications experienced systemic failures?
What type of protective actions should the aviation industry take in order to limit liability in such a
circumstance?
Read
As we saw in the last module, the Stuxnet virus was released in 2010 in an act of espionage. The virus
targeted the control systems used in Iran’s nuclear plants; it was a precise weapon designed to “trigger”
only under specified circumstances. It ended up destroying approximately 1,000 nuclear centrifuges with
precision.
As we have seen, the aviation industry is an attractive target to those who wish to cause harm to the
country and/or its people. Terrorists and hackers are becoming more and more sophisticated. Could it be
too long before something like Stuxnet is capable of being created by them?
Read Industrial Cyber Vulnerabilities: Lessons from Stuxnet and the Internet of Things (PDF) (Links to an
external site.) from University of Miami Law Review https://lawreview.law.miami.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2018/04/Trautman__p761.pdf
