While the likelihood of dying in a plane crash is at an all-time low, the chance that your plane could succumb to a cyber attack or collide with a commercial drone is increasing, according to a major insurance company.
German insurer Allianz published a review of aviation safety on Thursday, and expressed concerns it has discussed with other insurance companies in private.
"Cyber terrorism may replace the hijacker and bomber and become the weapon of choice on attacks against the aviation community," the report read.
During the August Black Hat hacking conference in Las Vegas, cyber security researcher Ruben Santamarta demonstrated how one could hack a plane's satellite communications equipment by exploiting their WiFi and inflight entertainment systems.
Santamarta said that a hacker could, in theory, disrupt or modify satellite communications, which could interfere with the plane's navigation and safety systems, reported Reuters.
The other risk, according to Allianz, comes from commercial drones crowding airspace. Usage has increased over recent years in the surveillance, farming, news and sporting industries, and regulations governing their commercial use have not yet been established by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA).
"The potential risks are obvious, namely collision or third-party damage or injury and resulting liability," said Allianz.
Data released by the FAA in November showed that in October alone, 41 pilots reported seeing a drone during flight, up from just five in April, according to CNN. Pilots reported seeing drones a total of 193 times between Feb. 22 and Nov. 11.
Rarely did pilots have to alter their flight path to avoid the drone, but there were a few such instances, the FAA said.
It was announced Thursday, however, that Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., will soon introduce a bill that would severely limit the use of drones until the FAA enacts safety rules, according to U.S. News & World Report.
