SECURITY HQ

When it comes to cyber security, has the aviation Industry got its head in the clouds? We talk to Security HQ.

Sustainability and security were the key focus points of the three-day-long 2023 Paris Airshow held back in June. Visitors at Paris–Le Bourget Airport were reminded of the importance of cybersecurity requirements, especially as the aviation industry has expanded exponentially in the last few decades. Also, as air travel is now an integral part of both professional and private flying, with such large growth, industrial advancements bring a plethora of cybersecurity requirements.

INCREASE IN ATTACKS

Paris saw a number of developments in the global aerospace and defense industry, including new orders and partnerships for a safe and united world, as cyber-attacks against the industry have increased. Recently, Security HQ witnessed a surge of attacks like the one against British Airways in June 2023, in which Clop ransomware group targeted the organisation with a malicious MOVEit file transfer software.

SECURITY HQ

Security HQ, the Global MSSP with world-class Security Operation Centers (SOC’s) located around the world, manages, detects and defends against all malicious activity and understands the complexities of modern interconnected systems in the industry. But have these meteoric advancements within the industry outrun the security of the technology it uses? This leads to the current void of cybersecurity in aviation, concerning the following three elements: a growing cybersecurity knowledge gap in the industry; the existence of multiple regulations: making it difficult to adapt to the speed of new regulations, to the quickly evolving threat landscape, and multiple stakeholders, with their data flows constantly back and forth between numerous internal and external systems, leading to regulatory headaches for decision makers.

Any compromise of these vendors can have severe consequences, including, loss of sensitive data, and potential safety risks.

THIRD-PARTY RISKS

The use of third-party vendors is common place within the aviation industry, and are often used to provide critical infrastructure, services, and software to aviation companies, comprising elements of the industry such as flight planning, maintenance, digital infrastructure and solutions, and navigation systems. Any compromise of these vendors can have severe consequences, including, loss of sensitive data, and potential safety risks. Also, one supply chain compromise impacting multiple businesses and customers at a time. Security HQ recommends that the  industry must take proactive measures to address cybersecurity third-party risks and supply chain attacks, and guard against becoming reactive to these threats. This means implementing strict security protocols, conducting regular audits of third-party vendors, and ensuring that all aviation systems and related infrastructure are hardened and secure from potential attacks.

EPP, VMAAS AND TRI

It is important for all operations in the industry, and third parties, to have in place the right combination of security measures and these are: Endpoint Protection (EPP – allows any threats targeting a large environment to be prevented and contained, mitigating any potential damage); Vulnerability Management as a Service (VMaaS –   can ensure your digital estate is never exposed to any malicious actors and is protected and always hardened); and Threat and Risk Intelligence (TRI – artifacts and intelligence from the Web can be used to give early warning signs, take preventative actions, and even track down the advanced threat actors targeting you, before they even have a chance to launch an attack).

A MSSP, such as Security HQ can help alleviate cyber security issues by providing the necessary expertise to bridge the knowledge gap, assist with regulatory compliance, and streamline data management, ultimately improving overall cybersecurity.