Demand for Aviation Cyber security Increases with Wider Espionage Campaign Targeting US Government Agencies and Private Companies

 

Computer security, or cyber security, is the prevention of computer crimes and other information system breaches by malicious intruders, disrupting or misdirecting the services they offer. ​Aviation cyber security deals with maintaining safe, secure, and resilient operations. The demand for cyber security has increased in the recent past, owing to cyber-attacks on large corporations, critical infrastructures of all kinds, governments and SMEs with different levels of sophistication and diverse severity in their impact. For instance, according to Kaspersky, smart DDoS attacks that were focused on the application layer increased by 73% in Q3 2019 compared to those in Q4 2019.

Recently, in March 2021, SITA, an air transport communications and information technology provider, confirmed it was victim of a cyber-attack in February 2021. Such cyber-attacks increase the demand for aviation cyber security solutions. Today, there are more sophisticated cyber threats than ever before. From phishing scams, to hackers who obtain and exploit your corporate data, there are increasing efforts by malicious attackers to get hold of and corrupt your computer systems. In fact, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recognizes 10 new kinds of malware that target businesses and are specifically designed to compromise corporate and government networks. One such malware, called "Eurasian Crest", was recently discovered by the cyber-criminals who were attempting to obtain sensitive data from an international airport in the U.S.

In February 2021, hackers allegedly broke into the networks of U.S. space agency NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration as part of a wider espionage campaign targeting U.S. government agencies and private companies. Thus protecting yourself from external threats and protecting your business against internal threats requires aviation cyber security. You need to understand what cyber threats are and how they can affect you, your company and your employees. It is important that you take the time to understand what cyber criminals are, how they operate, and how to guard yourself against them. This will allow you to build a solid plan to protect your network from hackers who want to gain access to your sensitive data or take down your physical systems.