Last year, more than a dozen U.S. airports were knocked offline by cyberattacks.
About 14. U.S. airports were attacked, including LaGuardia Airport in New York City.
A government official said the attack did not affect air traffic control, but it disrupted internal airport operations and caused an interruption to customer service.
The official said, “It’s an inconvenience, the cyberattacks caused a denial of public access to websites that report airport wait times and capacity information.”
The cyberattack was traced to a group called Killnet, a Russian group known to support the Kremlin.
Thankfully, this cyberattack didn’t affect air traffic control or anything truly serious, which could have had deadly consequences.
Aside from cyberattacks, security threats to the aviation industry are always evolving, and they could definitely affect you, your safety, and your travel plans.
So, here are a few of the most common threats and how they could affect your next airline trip.
Terrorism:
Law enforcement has stopped an untold number of planned terrorist attack without the public ever knowing.
But terrorists are always looking for vulnerabilities at airports, so as long as there is public access to airports, terrorists will take advantage of it.
From the curb to the security gate, these areas can be vulnerable to terror attacks, and shootings.
When you travel use good situational awareness, especially when you are outside the secure area.
Small cities:
Airports are like small cities. And they see the same issues as a typical city, including things like drug abuse and crimes of opportunity.
To combat all this, many airports have police departments as well as other first responders.
The challenge is that first responders have to deal with the normal issues you might find in a city, in addition to the unique threats that airports face.
When you are traveling through an airport, you need to understand that you can face the same security threats as if you were walking downtown.
But criminals know they are not going to encounter a citizen with a gun at the airport, which is why I always carry a tactical pen when I travel.
In-flight assaults:
It seems like every week we are reading stories about people going nuts onboard airplanes.
From fights to drunken rants, these types of disruptions can be very dangerous at 35,000 feet in the air.
Flight attendants have taken on increased roles from comforter, peace maker, to rule enforcer.
But flight attendants can’t always stop people who are out of control, which is why it’s important to pay attention when flying.
While it might not be your job to stop an assault, when passengers work together it can be the safest outcome.
Aviation threats are always changing. Yet, these days just getting through airport security doesn’t mean you are in a safe place.
Always keep your guard up when traveling as criminals will look for targets of opportunity.
And you should always have some sort of self-defense weapon with you.
