Aviation authorities from the U.S. and Europe find themselves at odds over the different measures employed for cyber security. While the regions are both in agreement to upgrade the security and prevention of cyber attacks in various aircraft, it has been revealed that the question of "how" is still up in the air.

According to a report from Wall Street Journal via The Hill, the two sides have conflicting solutions to the threats plaguing the aviation industry. A source explained that the scope of the regulations being put in place is the root of the problem between the different parties.

On one hand, the European Aviation Safety Agency is pushing for a standard set of cybersecurity measures for all aircraft across the board. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the U.S. is leaning towards a system that takes into account the size of the vehicle, with stricter guidelines for larger airplanes.

Co-chair of the FAA-created panel to address the cyber security regulations Jens Hennig explained the position of the U.S. and admitted that the dispute does not bode well for the industry.

The country is supporting "different standards based on the threat and magnitude of ... potential nefarious actors," Hennig said. "Having differences between U.S. and European standards is never good for manufacturers."

While the agreement is currently at a standstill due to the differing opinions, the industry will be trying to reach a consensus by the next summer, in time for the FAA to consider or craft a new set of regulations.

The issues of aircraft security remain a very real threat. In recent months, the U.S. air traffic control system has been exposed to hackers, who have shown capable of staging infiltrations ranging from making airlines ground their planes and even potentially accessing travel records of millions of passengers. Thus, the country's aviation industry, without strict requirements and concrete cybersecurity standards, is left vulnerable.

In a separate report from The Hill earlier this year, it was revealed that the country's lawmakers are seeking a solution to the dangers of cyber attacks after it was exposed that there are "significant security control weaknesses" in the systems of the FAA.

"There should be a requirement for immediate reporting to the federal government," Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the FAA, explained. "We need a two-way exchange of information so that when a threat is identified by the private sector, it's shared with the government, and vice versa."