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Cyber Incident Affects Electronic Flight Bag Users

A recent "cyber incident" affected some Jeppesen products and services, such as the ability to update GPS navigation, flight planning, and instrument approach data.

The cyber incident affected some Jeppesen products and services, which translated to issues potentially affecting navigation charts and information that most pilots draw on their electronic flight bags. [Courtesy: Jeppesen/FLYING Archive]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A cyber incident at Jeppesen temporarily disrupted pilots' access to up-to-date GPS navigation and flight planning data, potentially affecting services like ForeFlight.
  • The incident highlighted the critical importance for pilots to adapt, have backup navigation methods, and avoid over-reliance on electronic flight bags (EFBs).
  • Jeppesen's data delivery services have since been restored, and previously downloaded charts were confirmed to be compliant, though the full scope of the cyberattack is still being determined.
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One of the most important skills a pilot needs to have is the ability to adapt when the flight cannot be completed as planned. This became a real-world lesson for thousands of pilots this week when a cyber incident affecting Jeppesen potentially impacted a pilot’s ability to download up-to-date GPS navigation, flight planning, and instrument approach data.

On November 2, Jeppesen, a Boeing (NYSE: BA) subsidiary, reported on its website that there had been a “cyber incident” that affected some Jeppesen products and services. For pilots, that translated to issues potentially affecting navigation charts and information that most pilots draw from ForeFlight on their electronic flight bags (EFBs). In short, the information became suspect, as pilots were notified it could be out of date.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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