The world is experiencing dynamic changes in every sphere of life. The pace of technological progress is now integrated into every sector; whether it is real estate, retail, health, finance, or even aviation[1]. The world of technology has more growth reconnoiter for the future. Hereby, every field is willing to invest in technology, which will align investors with innovation and evolvement. There are certainly both pros and cons to the tech world. It is obvious that technology is not an easy-go for the novice as well as veterans; also the consequences brought along remain dubious[2].
Enunciating the aviation sector, it has been galvanized with the kahuna of digital space. It is indeed keeping updated with the latest trends and demands, and trying its best to provide supreme quality customer care service. The 21st century has reduced the communication gap between individuals and has produced methods, through which the concept of globalization can be cherished. The need for effective transportation and communication technologies has significantly accelerated the aviation industry to grow enormously. Aviation supports 65.5 million jobs globally and also sanctions $ 2.7 trillion in exhaustive GDP[3].
Aviation is considered to be one of the major industries that are swayed by technology. The structure of an aircraft itself is a vivid example of engineering, which is designed in such a way that it assimilates the required safety norms, need for information technology, the concept of aeronautics, comfortability, and customer satisfaction[4].
The duad of Aviation and Technology
The year 2019 experienced the collaboration of the Internet of Things, (IoT) and aviation. IoT is a process through which one can tether objects in the real world through the Internet[5].
The potential changes brought through IoT had prioritized safety and maintenance, reduced aircraft downtime, periodic analysis of an aircraft and its parts to be shown to pilot and cabin crew on board, more connectivity between the mechanical staff and aircraft. The ground crew has access to the aircraft in flight and can communicate during impromptu issues regarding the solution. Thus, this will overall improve the performance of an active aircraft[6].
The cargo services and baggage handling can also be easily refined by enabling location transmitters, which are capable of trumpeting the whereabouts of the baggage[7]. This makes it convenient to find out the missing baggage; and is also helpful in knowing the real-time location of cargo aircrafts.
Further, cloud computing has been introduced to the aviation industry, through which IT experts and investors could provide necessary resources to the aircraft accordingly. This makes a flexible workflow in the airline industry as everyone is informed, prior, about the upcoming demands which could be worked upon systematically.
Threats to Aviation Security:
While technology has enhanced the airlines, it has also brought difficulty to the same. With more and more advancements, the criminals are identifying several illegal ways to disturb and corrupt the aviation sector. With major issues like geopolitical posturing or even hijacking and terrorist attacks, which are a new normal to aircraft passengers, aviation has become the top industry in driving itself to cyber risks on the global frontline.
Considering airways as the fastest and safest mode of communication, the extensive increase in the happenings of the incidents globally has impacted the public negatively, as a result of which they have become more alert. The widespread international regulatory frameworks have been established to work on this.
Cyberattacks are also trending in the aviation industry. Air Canada, in August 2018 had reported a breach of personal data of more than 20,000 people[8]. This was experienced again in September by British Airways, affecting a total of 380,000 people. The Bristol Airport, in 2018 was forced to shut down the electronic flight information screens against the ransomware-style attack. The Airport acted smartly and swapped the same with whiteboards and flights were unaffected[9]. There were airport attacks witnessed at Brussels and Istanbul, in June 2016[10].
A survey stated that out of 100, only 35% of airlines and 30% of airports respectively presumed themselves to be immune to cyber risks[11].
A virtual spying operation in 2013 badly affected 75 US airports, which was a result of an advanced tenacious threat attack[12].
LATAM Airlines, in 2017 was encrypted by WannaCry and experienced a devastating ransomware attack, where the organization was asked to recover the data, and later, Ukraine’s International Airport lost all its access to data and system control to NotPetya[13].
Istanbul Airport, in 2013 was forced to shut down due to a cyberattack, and the passport control system was completely affected. Passengers had to wait in queue for several hours, at the departure terminal[14].
This amalgamation of digital with the physical phenomenon will build up new difficulties to cope up with. The regularized magnitude needed to destroy any industry with huge preponderance is proportional to the blending of the virtual and physical worlds. This will increase more isolated attackers to sit at a particular place and create havoc, globally[15].
The majority of enabled systems that are used in the aviation sector have the potential of getting hacked smoothly. The passport control system, the access to control management systems, the arrival and departure control system, the on-board passengers check control system, the flight traffic control, the reservation system, and even cloud-based aviation data storage: everything is recorded through a computer and stored as data. From the time a person books a flight ticket, to the time he receives a feedback form through the airline post journey, the electronic medium plays a vital role in every process[16]. The cargo handling, shipping, and accessing its location are also done digitally.
The industry is planning to popularize the automated pilot function, also known as the auto-pilot mode, for speedy and human free services[17]. The recent death of a Tesla driver while using autopilot mode has slightly deviated them from doing so.
Impacts on the Airline Industry
The consequences of such threats have a fatal impact on the reliance of customers over the company. The necessary measures should be taken to protect critical customer information, which includes credit card numbers, bank account details, and much more.
Airports can be considered a medium to threaten intelligence of any country, as they are generally linked to different government organizations that provide access to them regarding certain obligations.
More use of computers would result in less human interference. Humans would be required only in an emergency. But, this irregularity in practice and application of skills would make it difficult to cope up with such an emergency and would eventually lead to a disaster.
The Revolution Required
Conducting a holistic and systematic cyber-security risk assessment during the early stages would be beneficial for an airline.
The companies should come up with potential ideas and solutions from an attacker’s perspective more than a defender’s.
Depending totally on computers is not a very wise decision. Routine manual analysis is required for smooth workflow and preparedness for a crisis like condition. The communication between the air traffic control tower and aircraft in the air is rapidly shifting away from the conventional radio voice communications towards data-link technologies.
Security concern is one thing that cannot be overlooked. There must be proper usage of VPN function on the Airport itself, and any unusual digital activity near the area must be investigated.
A large number of investors in any organization makes it complex to fix any situation as everyone keeps on neglecting the prime issue. Hereby, it is necessary to create a separate management team who shall look after every minute issues regarding the security and safety standards of the airline.
The border-security framework shall also be amended at times, as the same law for any particular place could be easily identified by any hacker, using skillful methods.
Less usage of Hyper-connectivity, and focusing more on robust security architecture, as the former provides a potential attack surface for cybercriminals to exploit and conclusively might affect multiple stakeholders and passengers.
Conclusion
Flourishing technologies have aided the aviation industry immensely. There is an ease in providing traditional services and it has also enhanced the client-experience with new supplementary services. Humans are both strong and weak links when referring to cybersecurity. Proper cybersecurity in every sector is required with a detailed guideline regarding the same to avoid further cyberattacks. The call for awareness and understanding the importance to know cybersecurity is a need of the hour, as it will empower individuals and organizations, both to identify suspicious activity happening in cyberspace around them. It has been observed that the physical security checks at any airport are very strong and kosher, and a similar safety culture concerning cybersecurity is what the aviation demands at the very moment.
References [1]The growth of Technology( Nov 4th, 2019 ), https://industrytoday.com/the-growth-of-technology/ [2] Ibid [3]Social and economic benefits of Aviation ( 2018 ), https://www.atag.org/our-activities/social-and-economic-benefits-of-aviation.html [4]The impact of emerging technologies on Airline industry, https://w3.accelya.com/blog/the-impact-of-emerging-technologies-on-airline-service-delivery [5] Ibid [6] Ibid [7] Ibid [8]Cyberattacks in the Aviation Industry, https://avlaw.com.au/cyberattacks-aviation-industry/ [9] Cyber Security in the Aviation Sector, https://cyberriskinternational.com/2020/04/06/cyber-threats-to-the-aviation-industry/ [10] Ibid [11] Ibid [12] Why are airports vulnerable to cyberattacks? , http://www2.paconsulting.com/rs/526-HZE-833/images/PA_Airport%20Cyber%20Security%20Report.pdf [13] Ibid [14] Ibid [15] Ibid [16] Ibid [17] Ibid
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