The Latest in IT Security

The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed that a Soviet-era U-2 spy plane operated by the Air Force was partly responsible for major flight disruptions in California last week. According to a statement obtained by NBC News, air traffic computer systems experienced problems while processing a flight plan filed for a U-2 aircraft that operates at very high altitudes under visual flight rules. The U-2 was flying at its proper altitude of 60,000 feet when it crossed into airspace monitored by the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center on Wednesday afternoon. But for reasons unknown, air traffic computers apparently saw it as a risk for commercial flights flying far below. The computer system interpreted the flight as a more typical low altitude operation, and began processing it for a route below 10,000 feet, the FAA said.