Thales has recently released the inaugural edition of its aeronautics-focused Cyber Threat Intelligence technical analysis report. The benchmark publication, which you can download here, aims to raise awareness of ongoing evolutions in the field of cybersecurity, their potential impact on players in the aviation sector, and the keys to achieving business continuity. To get the full story, we talked to Thales’s aviation cybersecurity services focal, Laurent Barrillon. 

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Laurent, can you briefly describe what this report is all about?

The 40-page document provides a close-up look at the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity in aviation, and as such details the latest news and developments, areas of vulnerabilities, and new regulations, as well as providing valuable pointers about how aeronautics players can ensure business continuity in spite of emerging threats. The publication is aimed at Operation Technology (OT) and cybersecurity players across all branches of civil aviation – airlines, maintenance, repair and service suppliers, aviation authorities, etc. – but also in IT.

 

What sort of specific information can readers expect to find?

The report covers a number of case studies, including recent examples of hacks and data leaks, the use of fraudulent websites, and ransomware threats. As well as describing how those incidents came about, how they were conducted, and their impact, we pinpoint the learnings and how to safeguard aviation ecosystems against further attacks of the like.

 

What are some of the highlights of the report?

Highlights include the findings shared during this year’s DefCon cybersecurity hacker conference, notably by “white hat” hackers who delivered their knowledge of aviation security, showing examples such as the means in which TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems) can be spoofed and deliver false information. In our report, we include links through to the video presentations and associated reports, as well as formulating Thales’s opinion and recommendations to counteract future attacks.​

 

 

​What other milestone subjects are covered? 

The report also talks about the deployment of new standards which we at Thales recommend applying to ensure the continuous airworthiness of cybersecurity operations. And we reveal a “Top 5” ranking of aeronautics-related CVEs (Common Vulnerability and Exposures) as established during screening operations.

 

What are the report’s key takeaways?

By providing a snapshot look at present cybersecurity threats, the report illustrates the changing paradigm of attacks, which if anything has been amplified in recent months by the crisis throughout the sector. The report also explains that through the implementation of appropriate levels of cyber-resilience capabilities, knowledge and resources, systems and data can be secured and business continuity can be ensured. At Thales we are certainly on call to support and help aviation players achieve this on a daily basis!