NBAA Raises Concerns Over ADS-B Security

This satellite-based approach to NextGen Air Traffic Control is flawed. While
it permits defense contractors to deploy their market-ready technology and
wrest control of the skies from the federal government, it significantly
reduces air safety and opens a chink in the armor against terrorism.



http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/NBAA-Raises-Concerns-Over-ADS-B-Security-224160-1.html

NBAA Raises Concerns Over ADS-B Security

By Mary Grady | May 26, 2015

The FAA's plans regarding ADS-B, or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast
services, don't offer enough protection for operators' privacy, security and
business competitiveness, NBAA President Ed Bolen said in an op-ed this week.
"ADS-B transmits an unencrypted, real-time signal that includes the aircraft's
Mode S transponder code, its call sign, aircraft type, position and airspeed,
as determined by the aircraft's own GPS-based avionics," Bolen wrote. "Anyone
with the right equipment can capture that real-time data and potentially use it
for nefarious purposes." Bolen said NBAA is concerned that its members' flights
could be tracked by competitors trying to deduce their next business moves.

NBAA and other advocates prevailed in 2011 when they raised similar concerns
http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/New_Barr_Rules_206694-1.html about an
FAA policy that would have made flight data public without the option for
operators to block it. "We believe people should not have to surrender their
security or privacy just because they board a general-aviation airplane," Bolen
wrote. NBAA will continue to monitor the situation with regard to ADS-B and
will advocate for change. ADS-B is a cornerstone of NextGen air traffic
modernization, and the FAA has mandated that aircraft operating in airspace
that now requires a Mode C transponder must be equipped with ADS-B Out by Jan.
1, 2020.