Rule2022-25593
Special Conditions: Airbus SAS Model A380-800 Series Airplanes; Electronic System Security Protection From Unauthorized Internal Access
Primary source
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Published
November 25, 2022
Effective
November 25, 2022
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
These special conditions are issued for Airbus SAS (Airbus) Model A380-800 series airplanes. These airplanes will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes. This design feature is associated with the installation of a digital system that contains a wireless and hardwired network with hosted application functionality that allows access, from sources internal to the airplane, to the airplane's internal electronic components. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 226 (Friday, November 25, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 226 (Friday, November 25, 2022)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 72365-72367]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-25593]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2022-1283; Special Conditions No. 25-833-SC]
Special Conditions: Airbus SAS Model A380-800 Series Airplanes;
Electronic System Security Protection From Unauthorized Internal Access
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for Airbus SAS (Airbus)
Model A380-800 series airplanes. These airplanes will have a novel or
unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology
envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport-category
airplanes. This design feature is associated with the installation of a
digital system that contains a wireless and hardwired network with
hosted application functionality that allows access, from sources
internal to the airplane, to the airplane's internal electronic
components. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain
adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These
special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the
Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety
equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.
DATES: This action is effective on Airbus on November 25, 2022. Send
comments on or before January 9, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by Docket No. FAA-2022-1283 using
any of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a> and follow the online instructions for sending
your comments electronically.
<bullet> Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey
[[Page 72366]]
Avenue SE, Room W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC
20590-0001.
<bullet> Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
<bullet> Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
Privacy: Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as
described in the following paragraph, and other information as
described in title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 11.35, the
FAA will post all comments received without change to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a>, including any personal information you provide.
The FAA will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal
contact received about these special conditions.
Confidential Business Information: Confidential Business
Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both
customarily and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from
public disclosure. If your comments responsive to these special
conditions contain commercial or financial information that is
customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and
that is relevant or responsive to these special conditions, it is
important that you clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI.
Please mark each page of your submission containing CBI as ``PROPIN.''
The FAA will treat such marked submissions as confidential under the
FOIA, and the indicated comments will not be placed in the public
docket of these special conditions. Send submissions containing CBI to
Thuan T. Nguyen, Aircraft Information Systems, AIR-622, Technical
Innovation Policy Branch, Policy and Innovation Division, Aircraft
Certification Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 2200 South
216th Street, Des Moines, Washington 98198; telephone and fax 206-231-
3365; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5e0a362b3f30700a7010392b273b301e383f3f70393128"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="693d011c0807473d47270e1c100c07290f0808470e061f">[email protected]</span></a>. Comments the FAA receives, which
are not specifically designated as CBI, will be placed in the public
docket for these special conditions.
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a> at any time. Follow the online
instructions for accessing the docket or go to Docket Operations in
Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thuan T. Nguyen, Aircraft Information
Systems, AIR-622, Technical Innovation Policy Branch, Policy and
Innovation Division, Aircraft Certification Service, Federal Aviation
Administration, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, Washington 98198;
telephone and fax 206-231-3365; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ca9ea2bfaba4e49ee484adbfb3afa48aacababe4ada5bc"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="297d415c4847077d07674e5c504c47694f4848074e465f">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The substance of these special conditions
has been published in the Federal Register for public comment in
several prior instances with no substantive comments received.
Therefore, the FAA finds, pursuant to Sec. 11.38(b), that new comments
are unlikely, and notice and comment prior to this publication are
unnecessary.
Comments Invited
The FAA invites interested people to take part in this rulemaking
by sending written comments, data, or views. The most helpful comments
reference a specific portion of the special conditions, explain the
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data.
The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date for
comments. The FAA may change these special conditions based on the
comments received.
Background
On August 26, 2021, Airbus applied for a change to Type Certificate
No. A58NM for the installation of a digital system that contains a
wireless and hardwired network with hosted application functionality
that allows access, from sources internal to the airplane, to the
airplane's internal electronic components. The Model A380-800 series
are transport category airplanes and are powered by four engines. The
maximum passenger seating capacity is 868 and maximum takeoff weight is
1,234,600 to 1,265,000 pounds, depending on the specific variant.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) 21.101, Airbus must show that the Model A380-800 series airplane,
as changed, continues to meet the applicable provisions of the
regulations listed in Type Certificate No. A58NM or the applicable
regulations in effect on the date of application for the change, except
for earlier amendments as agreed upon by the FAA.
If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness
regulations (e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for the Airbus Model A380-800 series
airplanes, because of a novel or unusual design feature, special
conditions are prescribed under the provisions of Sec. 21.16.
Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which
they are issued. Should the type certificate for that model be amended
later to include any other model that incorporates the same novel or
unusual design feature, or should any other model already included on
the same type certificate be modified to incorporate the same novel or
unusual design feature, these special conditions would also apply to
the other model under Sec. 21.101.
In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special
conditions, the Airbus Model A380-800 series airplanes must comply with
the fuel-vent and exhaust-emission requirements of 14 CFR part 34, and
the noise-certification requirements of 14 CFR part 36.
The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in 14 CFR 11.19, in
accordance with Sec. 11.38, and they become part of the type
certification basis under Sec. 21.101.
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Airbus Model A380-800 series airplanes will incorporate the
following novel or unusual design feature, which is the installation of
a digital system that contains a wireless and hardwired network with
hosted application functionality that allows access, from sources
internal to the airplane, to the airplane's internal electronic
components.
Discussion
The Airbus Model A380-800 series airplane electronic system
architecture and network configuration change is novel or unusual for
commercial transport airplanes because it is composed of several
connected wireless and hardwired networks. This proposed system and
network architecture is used for a diverse set of airplane functions,
including:
<bullet> Flight-safety related control and navigation systems;
<bullet> Airline business and administrative support; and
<bullet> Passenger entertainment.
The airplane's control domain and airline information-services
domain of these networks perform functions required for the safe
operation and maintenance of the airplane. Previously,
[[Page 72367]]
these domains had very limited connectivity with other network sources.
This network architecture creates a potential for unauthorized persons
to access the aircraft control domain and airline information services
domain from sources internal to the airplane, and presents security
vulnerabilities related to the introduction of computer viruses and
worms, user errors, and intentional sabotage of airplane electronic
assets (networks, systems, and databases) critical to the safety and
maintenance of the airplane.
The existing FAA regulations did not anticipate these networked
airplane-system architectures. Furthermore, these regulations and the
current guidance material do not address potential security
vulnerabilities, which could be exploited by unauthorized access to
airplane networks, data buses, and servers. Therefore, these special
conditions ensure that the security (i.e., confidentiality, integrity,
and availability) of airplane systems will not be compromised by
unauthorized hardwired or wireless electronic connections from within
the airplane. These special conditions also require the applicant to
provide appropriate instructions to the operator to maintain all
electronic-system safeguards that have been implemented as part of the
original network design so that this feature does not allow or
reintroduce security threats.
These special conditions contain the additional safety standards
that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of
safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness
standards.
Applicability
As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to
Airbus Model A380-800 series airplanes. Should Airbus apply at a later
date for a change to the type certificate to include another model
incorporating the same novel or unusual design feature, these special
conditions would apply to that model as well.
Conclusion
This action affects only a certain novel or unusual design feature
on one model series of airplane. It is not a rule of general
applicability.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25
Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Authority Citation
The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g), 40113, 44701, 44702, 44704.
The Special Conditions
Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the following special conditions are issued as part of
the type certification basis for the Airbus A380-800 series airplanes
for airplane electronic-system internal access.
1. The applicant must ensure that the design provides isolation
from, or airplane electronic-system security protection against, access
by unauthorized sources internal to the airplane. The design must
prevent inadvertent and malicious changes to, and all adverse impacts
upon, airplane equipment, systems, networks, and other assets required
for safe flight and operations.
2. The applicant must establish appropriate procedures to allow the
operator to ensure that continued airworthiness of the airplane is
maintained, including all post-type-certification modifications that
may have an impact on the approved electronic-system security
safeguards.
Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 18, 2022.
Patrick R. Mullen,
Manager, Technical Innovation Policy Branch, Policy and Innovation
Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-25593 Filed 11-23-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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