Rule2024-00841
Special Conditions: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-G800 Series Airplanes; Electronic System Security Protection From Unauthorized External Access
Primary source
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Published
January 18, 2024
Effective
January 18, 2024
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
These special conditions are issued for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (Gulfstream) Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-G800 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 systems architecture that will allow increased connectivity to and access from external network sources, (e.g., operator networks, wireless devices, internet connectivity, service provider satellite communications, electronic flight bags, etc.) to the airplane's previously isolated electronic assets (networks, systems, and databases). 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 89 Issue 12 (Thursday, January 18, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 12 (Thursday, January 18, 2024)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 3335-3337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00841]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2023-2440; Special Conditions No. 25-847-SC]
Special Conditions: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Model GVIII-
G700 and GVIII-G800 Series Airplanes; Electronic System Security
Protection From Unauthorized External Access
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Gulfstream
Aerospace Corporation (Gulfstream) Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-G800
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 systems
architecture that will allow increased connectivity to and access from
external network sources, (e.g., operator networks, wireless devices,
internet connectivity, service provider satellite communications,
electronic flight bags, etc.) to the airplane's previously isolated
electronic assets (networks, systems, and databases). 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 Gulfstream on January 18, 2024. Send
comments on or before March 4, 2024.
[[Page 3336]]
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by Docket No. FAA-2023-2440 using
any of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">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 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.
<bullet> Docket: Background documents or comments received may be
read at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">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, Avionics Software and
Components Unit, AIR-626D, Technical Policy Branch, 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#bfebd7caded191eb91f1d8cac6dad1ffd9dede91d8d0c9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="eabe829f8b84c4bec4a48d9f938f84aa8c8b8bc48d859c">[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 14 CFR 11.38(b), that new
comments are unlikely, and notice and comment prior to this publication
are unnecessary.
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), Sec. 11.35, the FAA will
post all comments received without change to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">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 the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section above. Comments the FAA receives, which are
not specifically designated as CBI, will be placed in the public docket
for these special conditions.
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, and will consider comments filed late if it is possible to do
so without incurring delay. The FAA may change these special conditions
based on the comments received.
Background
On December 31, 2019, Gulfstream applied for an amendment to Type
Certificate No. T00015AT to include the new Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-
G800 series airplanes. The Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-G800 series
airplanes, which are derivatives of the Model GVI currently approved
under Type Certificate No. T00015AT, are twin-engine, transport-
category airplanes, with a maximum seating for 19 passengers, and a
maximum take-off weight of 107,600 pounds (GVIII-G700) and 105,600
pounds (GVIII-G800).
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR), Sec. 21.101, Gulfstream must show that the Model GVIII-G700 and
GVIII-G800 series airplanes meet the applicable provisions of the
regulations listed in Type Certificate No. T00015AT, 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 Gulfstream Model GVIII-G700 and
GVIII-G800 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 Gulfstream Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-G800 series
airplanes must comply with the 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 Gulfstream Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-G800 series airplanes
will incorporate the following novel or unusual design feature:
The installation of a digital systems architecture that will allow
increased connectivity to and access from external network sources,
(e.g., operator networks, wireless devices, internet connectivity,
service provider satellite communications, electronic flight bags,
etc.) to the airplane's previously isolated electronic assets
(networks, systems, and databases).
Discussion
The Gulfstream Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-G800 series airplanes'
electronic system architecture and network configuration are novel or
unusual for commercial transport airplanes because it may allow
increased connectivity to and access from external network sources,
airline operations, and maintenance networks,
[[Page 3337]]
to the airplane control domain, and airline information services
domain. The airplanes' control domain and airline information-services
domain perform functions required for the safe operation and
maintenance of the airplane. Previously, these domains had very limited
connectivity with external network sources. This data network and
design integration creates a potential for unauthorized persons to
access the airplanes' control domain and airline information-services
domain 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 the airplane's systems is not compromised by
unauthorized wired or wireless electronic connections. This includes
ensuring that the security of the airplane's systems is not compromised
during maintenance of the airplane's electronic systems. 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 introduce 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 the
Gulfstream Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-G800 series airplanes. Should
Gulfstream apply at a later date for a change to the type certificate
to include another 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 apply to that model as
well.
Conclusion
This action affects only a certain novel or unusual design feature
on the Gulfstream Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-G800 series of airplanes.
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, and
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 Gulfstream Model GVIII-G700 and GVIII-
G800 series airplanes for airplane electronic unauthorized external
access.
1. The applicant must ensure that the airplane electronic systems
are protected from access by unauthorized sources external to the
airplane, including those possibly caused by maintenance activity.
2. The applicant must ensure that airplane electronic system-
security threats are identified and assessed, and that effective
electronic system-security protection strategies are implemented to
protect the airplane from all adverse impacts on safety, functionality,
and continued airworthiness.
3. 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 January 11, 2024.
Patrick R. Mullen,
Manager, Technical Innovation Policy Branch, Policy and Innovation
Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-00841 Filed 1-17-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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