Lights' malfunction at airport attributed to computer glitch

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

Forwarded from: William Knowles <wk () c4i org>

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/2002/07/08/news/local/3589570.htm

[You have to wonder why airport officials were initially concerned
that a hacker had turned off the runway lights, unless one can
remotely control them via a dial-up or the Internet?  -  WK]


Wed, Jul. 03, 2002

Federal investigators have determined that a computer malfunction 
stopped runway lights at Miami International Airport from being turned 
on for about half an hour Saturday evening, an FBI spokeswoman said 
Tuesday.

Airport officials were initially concerned that a hacker caused the 
disruption.

''We looked into it and determined it was not a hacker,'' FBI 
spokeswoman Judy Orihuela said.

A representative for Siemens Airfield Solutions, which designed the 
lighting system, said it was a simple hardware problem in which a 
touch screen wasn't communicating with the main computer.

''The touch screen that turns the lights on was not responding,'' said 
Joe Pokoj, director of sales and marketing for Siemens.

The problem occurred at about 8:20 p.m. Saturday, when officials tried 
to turn the lights on and the system did not respond.

The runways were closed temporarily until officials turned the lights 
on manually by 8:55 p.m.

Aviation officials said only a couple of planes were affected.



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