The aviation industry has always been at the forefront of technological innovation. From the early pioneers who took to the skies in rickety wooden craft to the development of massive 400-ton aircraft that can fly halfway around the world nonstop, aviation has constantly evolved to leverage the latest and greatest technology.
However, this reliance on technology also exposes the aviation industry to significant cybersecurity risks that must be managed. The attack surface has grown exponentially as aircraft have transitioned from analogue to digital systems and ground operations become more reliant on interconnected information networks.
The paramount concern in aviation is safety. A cyber incident that affects critical flight systems or air traffic control infrastructure can lead to catastrophic consequences. Cybersecurity has, therefore, become a paramount concern across the entire aviation ecosystem to ensure the safety and security of the travelling public. This post will explore some critical cyber risks facing aviation in the modern threat landscape and what can be mitigated.
The Connected Aircraft: A Hacker’s Dream?
Modern commercial airliners are massive, networked computers with wings. The average passenger jet has thousands of sensors and data-generating contact points onboard that feed into the aircraft’s core avionics systems. These allow for incredible automation, optimisation, and in-flight monitoring capabilities that were unimaginable not long ago.
However, like any traditional IT network, these interconnected endpoints represent potential vulnerabilities bad actors could exploit. Passenger entertainment systems, data networks, cockpit systems, and maintenance interfaces can all be potential attack vectors depending on how securely they are implemented.
One of the most severe potential cyber risks involves directly hacking into an aircraft’s avionics system, which could allow malicious actors to interfere with navigation, flight controls, or other critical safety systems while the plane is in flight. Fortunately, major commercial jets have multiple layers of redundancy built into their flight control systems to prevent digital takeover, even if parts of the avionics are compromised.
Nonetheless, even less critical systems like cabin lighting, climate control, and entertainment systems being hacked during a flight could be highly disruptive and undermine passenger confidence in aviation security. IT security, therefore, needs to be a key priority at all stages of aircraft design, with segmented networks to isolate high-risk systems. Regular patching and software updates are essential throughout an airliner’s service life, as you would update an Enterprise Server or similar!
Air Traffic Control in the Crosshairs
While cyber risks on individual aircraft are concerning, potentially much more high-impact cyberattacks could target air traffic control (ATC) systems and communication networks critical to managing safe skies. Even brief disruptions to ATC capabilities due to cyber incidents could quickly snowball into significant flight delays, diversions, or cancellations that undermine public confidence and cause significant economic impacts.
For example, a DDoS[1] attack that overwhelms ATC systems even for a relatively short duration could lead to regional or nationwide disruption of commercial flights and cargo transport until resolved. Malware or intrusions at major ATC hubs could also potentially allow adversaries to manipulate flight routing data in dangerous ways if not detected quickly.
Legacy air traffic management systems were built decades ago without cyber resilience in mind, so major infrastructure and software upgrades are critical, along with enhanced cyber talent within ATC organisations. The good news is that next-generation air traffic management systems Like NextGen[2] in the US present opportunities to ensure enhanced cybersecurity from code to production.
Supply Chain: An Overlooked Risk Vector
While cyber risks directly targeting aircraft or air traffic systems get significant attention, supply chain compromises are an often overlooked threat vector for aviation. The parts and systems that go into modern aircraft are sourced from hundreds of suppliers worldwide. If any of these vendors are breached or rely on compromised software/hardware, it opens the door to potential risks that are difficult to detect and highly challenging to mitigate.
For example, a software vendor breach could allow tainted avionics system code to be distributed to aircraft manufacturers and integrated into planes. Or a factory that supplies mechanical parts could be manipulated into altering their designs in ways that introduce hard-to-detect vulnerabilities. Without robust visibility into second and third-tier vendors, it is almost impossible for aircraft OEMs to have full assurance of their supply chain integrity.
The Keys Are in the Cloud
As the aviation industry looks to boost productivity and efficiency gains, more and more ground operations are shifting to cloud-based services. Airlines are adopting cloud-based reservation and booking systems, maintenance is moving to digital logbooks in the cloud, flight dispatchers rely on cloud-based weather data, and much more.
However, the cloud brings a new set of cyber risks that aviation stakeholders may be unfamiliar with. Cloud environments are often misconfigured and managed poorly, which leads to data exposure or systems that are more easily compromised. If critical aviation platforms in the cloud suffer outages or breaches, it could have significant operational impacts outside IT teams’ control.
Proper cloud security hygiene is critical, including data encryption, multi-factor authentication, and robust access controls. In addition, disaster recovery plans must account for cloud service disruption, and contracts with cloud providers should mandate notification in the event of a breach or incident affecting aviation data.
People Problems: The Weak Link
While technological vulnerabilities tend to get more public attention when it comes to cybersecurity in aviation, the most significant risks often originate due to simple human errors and social engineering tactics that exploit people rather than systems. Even the most security-focused organisations can have their defences compromised by a single misstep.
Phishing emails aimed at air traffic controllers, airline employees, or aircraft manufacturer staff represent one of the easiest ways for cybercriminals to breach aviation networks. As we know from multiple breaches in other industries, even if a small percentage of recipients are tricked into clicking malicious links or attachments, it can provide an initial foothold into sensitive systems. Security awareness training is therefore essential to help employees identify and report suspicious messages.
Beyond phishing, staff may inadvertently introduce vulnerabilities due to poor IT practices, like using weak passwords or connecting unauthorised devices to aviation networks. Personnel roles with elevated system access need to adhere to strict cyber hygiene standards and security protocols on and off the job to avoid costly mistakes.
Trust No One: Managing Third-Party Risk
Since the aviation ecosystem involves many interdependent organisations, cyber risks extend beyond any single entity’s boundaries. Airlines, airports, aircraft manufacturers, air traffic control agencies, and a wide array of service providers must all coordinate to deliver seamless and secure air travel. This aligns with a Zero Trust security approach.
This means that weaknesses or gaps in any aviation-related organisation can have cascading impacts on the whole industry. If a third-party vendor experiences a breach or disruption that affects their aviation clients, it can quickly snowball into a much larger incident.
Managing third-party cyber risk requires aviation players to have visibility into their external partners’ security posture and preparedness. Security assessments of vendors should be standard practice during onboarding and periodically after that. Contracts should also include provisions for vulnerability disclosure and incident response coordination.
Extortion Threats Keep Climbing
Although cyber-enabled fraud and theft get a lot of attention, extortion has emerged as one of the fastest-growing cyber threats across all industries, and aviation is no exception. Ransomware attacks have increased dramatically, where adversaries encrypt or steal sensitive data and demand payment for its return.
In recent years, major aviation entities like aircraft parts supplier Asco Industries[3] and India’s SpiceJet airline[4] suffered significant ransomware attacks that disrupted operations. As aviation systems get more interconnected and valuable data accumulates, adversaries are increasingly motivated to unleash ransomware for profit.
Comprehensive data backups and restoration procedures are essential to avoid having to make extortion payments in the event of ransomware. Cyber insurance policies should also account for potential disruption from such attacks. Proactive network monitoring to detect intrusions before they escalate is vital to minimising extortion risk.
Final Approach: Securing the Future of Aviation
As air travel continues to rebound following the pandemic, with rising passenger numbers and innovations like flying taxis and supersonic jets (once again) becoming a reality, managing cyber risk across the entire aviation ecosystem is more critical than ever. Aircraft, airlines, airports, air traffic control systems, and the extended supply chain must be secured to maintain the public’s confidence in air transportation.
No solution can eliminate cyber threats, given the sector’s size and complexity. However, by taking a coordinated and proactive approach, public and private aviation stakeholders can implement layered defences to deter attacks and minimise potential impacts.
Next-generation technologies like AI-powered network monitoring, blockchain-based supply chain tracking, and advanced intrusion detection systems also have the potential to enhance cyber resilience if applied strategically. With a laser focus on security, the aviation industry can continue pioneering innovations without compromising safety or reliability in the modern threat landscape.
[1] https://www.airport-technology.com/news/dos-cyberattack-airport-websites/
[2] https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/today
[3] https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252465178/Asco-breaks-silence-on-ransomware-attack
[4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-61575773