Aviation Security

Cyber Threats     

An emerging threat within the aviation industry and involving airports is cyber attacks and cyberterrorism. A cyber attack is an attack, via cyberspace, targeting an enterprise’s use of cyberspace for the purpose of disrupting, disabling, destroying, or maliciously controlling a computing environment/infrastructure; or destroying the integrity of the data or stealing controlled information (Computer Security Resource Center, n.d.). In todays digital age the consequences of cyberterrorism are far reaching and can be catastrophic. The TSA's 20 layers of security primarily focus on the physical security side of things. I think the cyber security is a part of many of the 20 layers, but as the world and aviation industry rely more on technology cyber security should have a more predominate focus. By adding cyber security to the layers the TSA will help ensure a more complete protection of the assets and passengers they protect. Many of the cyber systems used by airports are old and outdated, putting them at greater risk of a cyber attack. The old technology should be updated to ensure it is staying on par and able to combat modern cyber threats. Legacy airport infrastructure may not be readily refitted with new digital architecture but may need a hybrid security solution enabling both cyber and physical security elements (Willemsen & Cadee, 2018). 

I think that cyber attacks are more prevalent today than they were 20 years ago in the wake of 9/11 and with that the airports and TSA should maintain the awareness of the cyberterrorism threats and their potentially serious effects.




References:

NIST. (n.d.). Cyber attack - glossary. Computer Science Resource Center.   https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/cyber_attack.



Willemsen, B., & Cadee, M. (2018). Extending the airport boundary: Connecting physical security and cybersecurity. Journal of Airport Management, 12(3), 236–247.

US Security Agencies: Commercial airplane cyber attack "only a matter of Time". eTurboNews. (2018, June 7). https://eturbonews.com/219496/us-security-agencies-commercial-airplane-cyber-attack-only-a-matter-of-time/.




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