It goes without saying that cyberterrorism and other forms of online threats influence businesses worldwide and are becoming more common.
Cybersecurity attacks endanger a company’s reputation and credibility in the market, in addition to its financial stability. In today’s cut-throat business climate, no company can afford to jeopardise either. The aviation industry is no exception and remains a target for such attacks.
Airlines, airports, planes, and all the vendors and subcontractors who work in these sectors handle a lot of sensitive information, including credit card and passport numbers.
And as aircraft become more and more digital, there are even more points of failure that hackers can take advantage of—like the networked components used in navigation and communication systems. This has, unsurprisingly, led to an explosion of cyberattacks targeting the aviation sector.
Types of Cyberattacks in the Aviation Industry
Here are a few examples of the most typical cyberattacks that can potentially harm the aviation sector.
- Data theft: As of now, these remain the most typical forms of cyberattack in the aviation industry, and they include the unlawful acquisition, reading, or transmission of data. In 2021, a worldwide software vendor that served several airlines was the victim of a massive cyberattack.
The hacker gained access to the personal information of hundreds of thousands of travellers, including login credentials, addresses, credit card numbers, names, and more.
- Ransomware attacks: Hackers take over the airline’s computer systems and demand payment in exchange for releasing them from their captivity. To avoid disastrous damage to flight operations, it is crucial to restore access to key data and system controls immediately.
It is equally important to reduce this risk since data loss can have a substantial effect on flight operations and company continuity.
- Phishing attacks: The goal of these attacks is to get access to the network by evading or bypassing the system’s malware and spam filters.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, these have grown in frequency; the perpetrators pretend to be airlines to defraud customers into thinking they can get a refund for cancelled flights.
- Denial of Service (DoS) attacks: Also known as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assault, their goal is to overwhelm a target network with an excessive amount of requests.
This causes a service, network resource, or host system to stop working normally and become inaccessible to users.
For example, in October 2022, customers seeking flight details and other information were unable to access the websites of many airports, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, due to a DDOS attack on the aviation industry.
- Hacking critical avionics and systems: As the name suggests, this is an intrusion into an aircraft’s digital avionic systems, such as the navigational, flight controls, communication, anti-collision, and other related systems. A hack on these can have disastrous consequences.
Importance of Cybersecurity in the Aviation Industry
Cyber security in aviation is primarily responsible for protecting aircraft and related systems from hackers. Part of this is making sure the plane’s systems for communication, navigation, and operations are secure and functioning.
When it comes to cybersecurity, aviation is unlike any other industry due to the intricate and linked systems that run both on the ground and in the air. Airline companies must take cybersecurity seriously in the wake of the impending EASA Regulations Part IS and begin actively monitoring and reducing cyber risks if they want to remain in compliance.
Cybersecurity is also essential for the day-to-day operation of the aviation industry. Like safety, it often goes unnoticed until something goes wrong—at which point its absence becomes glaringly obvious.
However, unlike in other industries, cybersecurity in aviation must strike a delicate balance: protecting critical assets without compromising operational safety or the well-being of personnel.
A crucial aspect of cybersecurity is securing data transmission between aircraft and corporate networks, preventing unauthorised access and potential breaches. At the core of these efforts is continuous risk mitigation, and the statistics underscore its importance.
In 2023, the average cost of a cyber data breach was approximately $4.45 million—excluding reputational damage. Even more concerning, breaches took nearly four months to detect on average, underlining the critical need for more robust cybersecurity measures in the aviation industry.
Existing Standards Fall Short
A lot of work has already gone into establishing guidelines and standards for detection and prevention. But these criteria won’t cut it on their own.
Airlines and the aviation industry still face risks from multiple sources, including airport authorities, air traffic controllers, MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) providers, third-party suppliers (e.g., catering, IT), and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
You need a cybersecurity plan that covers your whole business if you want to take preventative and proactive steps. Unfortunately, cyberattacks aren’t always preventable. Some of the most important things to do, nevertheless, are to safeguard data and conduct competent and sophisticated network monitoring to discover threats early.
With cyber threats evolving rapidly, governments and industry leaders must continuously reassess their strategies to safeguard sensitive data and ensure the safety of all stakeholders. This is why the ICAO developed the Aviation Cybersecurity Strategy. This framework outlines industry standards that aviation system manufacturers must follow when developing their products and services while also guiding on preventing cyberattacks.
Cyber security in aviation: conclusion
As new cybersecurity threats emerge, the aviation industry must adopt an evolving cybersecurity strategy that integrates advanced encryption, zero-trust architecture, and regular security assessments.
You can overcome the emerging cybersecurity obstacles with the help of expert airport operations and technology assistance. Countless airports and airline businesses across the globe have relied on our top-notch engineering and security solutions to construct systems that are both dependable and secure.
Is your aviation cybersecurity strategy ready to withstand emerging threats? Contact Airport Gurus today to explore how we can help safeguard your mission-critical systems.