Cyberattack on civil aviation – a genuine threat

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By Ayelet Frank

Cyberattack on civil aviation – a genuine threat

The recent incident to the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is fueling the discussion of whether would be possible to hack into an airplane and gain complete control of on-board systems.

Until this moment such an attack did not happen but experts say it is an imminent danger.

The airplanes are very sophisticated systems. They are comparable to a complex network in which each system runs its software component that could be compromised exactly like the information exchanged by the parts.

Experts say that an attacker with a deep knowledge of the plane’s system could intentionally cause serious problems with its normal operation.

Some of the most advanced passenger aircraft use many transponders to communicate their position to air traffic control. It is not simple to switch off all the transponders, and modern planes in fact are equipped with two other systems, the cockpit radios and a text-based system known as Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), which can be used to send messages or information about the airplane.

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These systems the experts say may be used as “entry points” for a cyberattack.

Israeli cyber security experts designate civil aviation as a possible target for such an attack.

In a recent aviation convention at the Fisher Institute at Herzlia, Five C President Erez Kreiner was asked to what extent is the cyber threat on the aviation sector real.

Is this threat genuine, or is it just some media hype? If so, are there any efforts made to immune aviation systems against the cyber threat?

“The threat is totally genuine. Cyberattacks may disrupt any sector, including aviation, both civil and military. There is field or sector that is immune to cyberattacks.

Any nation realizes this should be dealt with, it plays a major role in any Western country. We are talking about aviation infrastructure, including airports, airliners, any aircraft in flight and on the ground, and so on – the sooner the better.”

Is the threat posed more to aircraft or to infrastructure such as airports and control towers?

“I regard an aircraft as an airborne computer system complete with streaming data – rendering it vulnerable.”