modern applications While airline reservation systems, for example, are updat fairly frequently and are design to be secure against potential threats, other systems, such as air traffic control or ground-to-air-to-ground communications, were originally design to operate within clos networks and therefore receive fewer security updates and fewer virus signatures.
Bocek said are “design without any modern applications
Perimeter protection in mind,” aviation still uses legacy software and old, vulnerable code that highlights a “clos-network mentality” that suggests weaker internal defenses against hackers undermining system security.
However, to get inside, attackers ne to choose an attack vector. Suitable targets, along with onboard Wi-Fi networks and entertainment systems, include air traffic control, ticketing systems, and communications systems. Inside the aircraft itself, there are plenty of potential weak points in the aircraft’s network configuration: multimia entertainment systems and onboard device network groups, airline information services, and the aircraft control and data processing network—all of which rely on satellite communications equipment.
Ruben Santamarta, chief security consultant at
IOActive, says that the avionics c level executive list system nes to be further embd in the aircraft control network, which ideally should be physically separat from the passenger network environment. However, this is not always the case, and if there is a physical link between the two network layers, the risk of hacking increases significantly.
Another challenge is the Internet
Things (IoT) and connect device networking. The problem is that there are all sorts of connection points, from embd Internet-enabl devices to on-board Wi-Fi networks, all of which provide additional entry points for hackers.
Bocek says that today’s planes are essentially “large flying mobile devices,” meaning that, like smart cars with newly built-in Internet connectivity, aviation is also unprepar to fend off attacks from malicious actors.
“While the aviation this approach is unusual for residents industry has improv the process of testing software code to improve adb directory the safety of aircraft operations, it will still take time and technical expertise to fully protect connect aircraft from hacker attacks,” Bocek said.
