Hidden Content
The MIL-STD-1553 data bus standard for vehicle computers was invented before hacking was a problem.
Hackers could potentially gain access to an airplane, tank, or spacecraft's main computer system through the data bus.
The Cyber Anomaly Detection System monitors a data bus for anomalies and quickly reports them to pilots or maintainers.
A new anti-hacker system is designed to monitor military and civilian aircraft, looking for signs hackers have tampered with a plane’s computer system. The Cyber Anomaly Detection System (CADS) is designed to monitor the information pipeline on many U.S. and NATO combat planes, including the F-15 Eagle, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and even the B-2A Spirit stealth bomber. CADS is designed to warn pilots and drone operators that their aircraft has been compromised by hackers, who could introduce false or potentially dangerous data into an airplane.

MIL-STD-1553 is a military standard that spells out the mechanical, electrical, and functional characteristics of a serial data bus. A data bus is a system universal to computers—from PC or smartphone to computers on military aircraft—that moves data from one part of the computer to the other. It also acts as an entry point for new data coming from sensors, like radars and GPS antennas, to the aircraft onboard flight computer. First introduced in 1973, it is built into almost all U.S. military aircraft, several types of conventional aircraft, the M1A2 Abrams tank, and even the International Space Station.