Information Systems Security: The Federal Aviation Administration's Layered Approach
Daniel J Mehan · 2000
The security of our nation, the viability of our economy, and the health and well being of U.S. citizens rely on infrastructures for communication, finance, energy distribution, and transportation. When these networked information systems are compromised, life and property are at risk. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) develops, maintains, and operates one of the largest and most complex of these critical infrastructures; an infrastructure that is almost totally information-centric. Destroying information or changing it improperly can disrupt the work of FAA and the national airspace system. The disclosure of sensitive information about ongoing, critical transportation functions to unauthorized entities can harm the operations of FAA and other government agencies. For FAA, information systems security extends beyond the computer environment to the security of airspace and the national airspace system. The structural, operating, and procedural foundations of information systems security provide the mechanisms for achieving FAA's safety, security, and efficiency goals. This article examines FAA's efforts directed at information systems security.