The Rising Demands for Cyber Security training in Aviation
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Introduction:
With the rise of technology, cyber security has become a critical issue for organisations worldwide. This is especially true for the aviation industry, where the safety and security of individuals, organizations and governments are of utmost importance. A cybersecurity strategy must be established and the training of its personnel is of the highest important priority.?
To help organisations avoid this, EASA, FAA, and ICAO have set new compliance guidelines for employees to train and stay aware of the cyber security threats and attacks that are targeted towards the aviation industry. Because the first and biggest priority lies in everyone's responsibility - aviation safety.
In this article, we will provide strong recommendations that underline the importance of a good aviation cyber security strategy with a focus on good training that will empower every person with the knowledge to avoid and protect data.?
This article will help you learn more about:
Scandlearn has just launched an updated and compliant online training Cyber Security course that organisations can use as initial training, or as a refresher course as a part of your in-house security programme.?
Why should we train in cyber security?
The simple answer is, as with everything else we want to protect in this industry - aviation safety. But more explanatory, cybersecurity is not something we can ignore or be naive to. We can’t stand by and think you’re not at risk. We all are potential targets, individually, organisationally, and governmentally.?
With the return of travellers to airports, the aviation industry has once again become a focal point for threat actors. The rapid adoption of digital technologies has expanded the attack surface of aviation companies, making them vulnerable to cyberattacks.?
Cybercriminals are becoming more creative, skilled and strategic by targeting businesses and formulating unique attacks relevant to the type of data and level of cyber security. On the other side of the screen, for IT departments it’s getting more complex to identify, take control and contain a data breach. ESENTIRE presented a report "the 2022 Official Cybercrime Report,"? that cybercrime costs are expected to reach $8 trillion by 2023 and already increase to $10.5 trillion by 2025.?
Important to add, cybercrimes are not only a threat to aviation safety and can harm targets in financial ways, but also threaten market credibility and the brand image of a company or the reputation of a country.??
To get you or your employee more cybersavvy and cybersmart when it comes to protecting your private data as well as your organisation's data you need to have the necessary knowledge. How else would you be able to identify what a cyberthreat is and identify when you are under attack?
Do the bingo above to see how protected and how cybersmart you are for real. Did you manage to escape the hacker manage to bingo you?
Now, let’s have a look at previous cyber attacks towards aviation organisations.?
Cyberattack reports in the aviation industry
There were 52 attacks reported in 2020, 48 attacks reported in 2021, and 50 attacks were reported till the end of August 2022. So cyber incidents in 2022 have reached the average of 2020 and 2021 in just eight months.
The attack types experienced in the last three years (2020, 2021, and 2022) were Ransomware (22%), Data Breach (18,6%), Phishing (15,3%), and DDoS (7,3%), with the remaining 16% of attacks listed as other/unknown.
One of the larger cyber ransomware attacks happened just recently. On Nov. 2, 2022, one of the world’s largest digital chart providers was affected by an aviation cyber incident. For thousands of pilots around the world, there was some disruption to flight planning as a result of the incident.?
Here is a statement from November 9, 2022, by a well-known manufacturer.
"Our subsidiary experienced a cyber incident affecting certain flight planning products and services. There has been some flight planning disruption but at this time we have no reason to believe that this incident poses a threat to aircraft or flight safety. We are in communication with customers and regulatory authorities and working to restore full service as soon as possible."
By November 10, "Digital Aviation Incident Response" offered additional information on a page:
"The most recent digital chart downloads available are currently effective and in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. Any 'Expired' messages shown for company’s Terminal Charts prior to Dec. 1st do not indicate that the charts are expired from a regulatory perspective,"
Although it is suspected that the company fell victim to a Ransomware attack, they have refrained from providing details on the nature and extent of the attack on their computer systems and subsidiaries. Subsequent investigations have revealed that the attack was not aimed at the subsidiary in question. The company and its subsidiary are currently assessing the impact of the incident, and may release additional information as it becomes available.
Types of cyberthreats and attacks in the aviation industry
How well are your organisation prepared for attacks? I’m sure your organisation has set a cyber risk appetite statement with cyber risk tolerance and made a roadmap with cyber risk quantification. A good cyber security training, such as Scandlearns Cyber Security course, is a sound first step. And of course it's important to stay alert to new types of threats and attacks in order not to fall victim and be one in the reports described above.?
The advantage of you and your employees knowing the various types of cyberattacks is that we can better develop new strategies to protect the network and the systems of our organization.?
The most common types of cyberattacks are:
In our Cyber Security training, we go through each attack and how it affects more in detail and examples.?
Can you pair the attacks and incidents together and see how well-versed you’re in the types of cyber-attacks?
Cyber security forecast
The digital age and infrastructure we live in have set a new paradigm shift in how we exchange information. The rapid behavioural force of how we use technology individually and in business has changed the unprecedented level of connectivity—i.e., interconnectivity—at a global scale among systems and networks
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This puts high demands on organisations' IT departments. According to SITA’s Insight Report 2022, 95% of airlines will invest in cyber security investment initiatives in the upcoming 3 years. However other investment priorities that include data management are; Business Intelligence Software (74%) Data Exchange technologies (82%) and Artificial Intelligence (74%). With this said, it’s sensitive data that needs to be protected from cyber threats and attacks.?
Maybe the most common factor for a data breach is the human element. 82% was the root cause of data breaches according to "2022 Data Breach Investigations Report." Negligent and careless employees and contractors often play a big role in phishing insider attacks, such as clicking links in emails or providing information that can lead to exploitation. Phishing attacks increased in 2022 by 61% and in the third quarter it was reported 3 million phishing attacks.
An employee’s negligent behaviour does also mean that they didn’t abide by the company’s security policies. Or skipped the request to set up multi-factor authentication. Or they stored data on their personal device or private cloud.?
On an organisational level, Ransomware attacks like the attack that happened to the world's largest chart providers I described above,? are a constant threat affecting all sectors. Unfortunately, it’s only getting worse and Kaspersky Lab reported that in the first 10 months of 2022, the percentage of affected users impacted.??
And why are all these numbers necessary you may wonder. Well, imagine the impact on your organisation. This gives us a realistic indication that these criminal acts will not stop and If I would be a business owner I’d rather use the financials somewhere else better.?
Aviation systems exposed to cyber threats.?
In the aviation industry, several technologies can be categorized under headings such as smart systems, Internet of Technology (IoT) devices, Cloud Infrastructures, Bigdata, and Blockchain. Especially remotely targetable smart systems (Biometric Systems, robotic systems, etc.), IoT devices (sensors, actuators, etc.), and cloud systems. These are technologies that also benefit from technological advancement and must continue to evolve with tech solutions to meet business needs and requirements.?
Modern technologies have significantly improved the quality of aviation operations, increasing flight safety and performance while also creating new challenges. These include a highly interconnected system where data flows between numerous stakeholders and internal/external systems.
Below I’ve listed the systems that are exposed to an attack.?
How to increase cyber security awareness and stay cyber smart among your employees.
To avoid simple mistakes that may result in a disruptive breach, you must promote a security-first culture and security best practices throughout the entire organisation. By doing that your organisation will experience, less demand on security costs but by having fewer malware intrusions and ransomware infections.
Here is how you do that:
The refresher training and micro training is a great way to help your employees to stay aware of the newest updates. The threat landscape is always changing, as events cause shifts in the context of entities affected by them. Building a security-first culture will reduce risk to the organization's financials and credibility.?
The most affordable and efficient way to get out knowledge fast is through good and updated existing online training or building your own training and distributing it online. With an online course, you can use it for initial training but also as a refresher. You can also use it as a part of your own security programme you have in-house and use the time spent in the classroom for exercises and group discussions, role play and other practical exercises.?
Scandlearns Cyber Security Course.?
Scandlearns Cyber Security online training is beneficial for everyone in the aviation industry and covers all essential topics related to Cyber Security and compliance guidelines in the Aviation industry.?Here is the topics covered:
The Benefits of our Course:
Our training course is designed to equip students with the necessary knowledge and understanding of procedures related to Cyber Security and the regulatory framework that governs them. We aim to increase awareness of daily operations and policies within employee organisations and strengthen global aviation safety and security. By investing in our comprehensive training course, aviation staff can protect themselves and their organisations from potential security threats.
Our course offers a significant advantage in that you can customize your training to meet your specific requirements, which is highly valued by crew members as it relates more closely to their daily operations. Using our Learning Management System, called Evolve, and our latest framework Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBTA), you can seamlessly blend our Cyber Security course with your own materials.
Conclusion:
In today's digital world, Cyber Security is an essential issue for organisations worldwide, especially in the aviation industry. Our comprehensive Cyber Security training course is specifically designed for Aviation staff, covering all essential topics related to Cyber Security threats and compliance guidelines. By investing in our training course, Aviation staff can help to protect themselves and their organisations from potential security threats and ensure the safety and security of passengers and crew.
If you need help to get started at your organisation. Contact William Selin and he will help you up and running smooth and friction free.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. Please leave your comments if you have more insights about this topic. Looking forward to hear your feedback from our Cyber Security online course aswell.
Sincerely,
Emelie Lindqvist,
Executive Producer & Creative Director
Scandlearn