Security firm’s new service combines expertise in aviation and cyber security to help aviation companies protect their most critical assets.
F-Secure has rolled out a specialized aviation cyber security services offering that’s designed to help airlines and similar organizations protect their aircraft, infrastructure, data, and reputations.
Cyber security has emerged as a significant issue for many industries, including those working in aviation. 85 percent of airline CEOs identified cyber security as a significant risk in a 2015 survey. And while many industries have been dealing with data breaches and cyber attacks for many years, F-Secure’s Hugo Teso says that changes in the aviation industry are bringing new risks for the airlines.
“Off-the-shelf communication technologies are finding their way into aircraft, which makes security much more complicated than in the past,” said Teso, a former pilot and current head of F-Secure’s Aviation Cyber Security Services. “Because these off-the-shelf technologies weren’t necessarily created to meet the rigorous safety requirements of airlines, the aviation industry is making cyber security a top priority. But they need a partner that understands both cyber security and the details of airline operations, because it’s an industry where those details make a big difference.”
F-Secure’s Aviation Cyber Security Services was designed to help airlines and other companies working in aviation secure their operations from the ground up. It integrates security assessments of avionics, ground systems and data links, vulnerability scanners, security monitoring, incident response services, and specialized cyber security trainings for IT managers as well as cabin and cockpit crews, into a single package that helps airlines harden their operations against cyber attacks.
But the service isn’t limited to simply assessing different technologies or components. According to Teso, the offering aims to help airlines achieve-long term security for all their operations and systems.
“In aviation, trust is everything, and airlines know that if they lose trust they lose business. And even though cyber security is a relatively new concern for them, they understand that they need to get on top of problems right away and stay ahead of potential issues as technologies, operations, and threats evolve,” said Teso. “The overlap between security and safety is 100 percent clear to airlines, so even an attack that’s not intended to affect the safety of an aircraft in reality – like hacking into a database to steal passenger data – is an unacceptable risk that threatens to undermine customer confidence in other operations.”
