If you are someone who travels quite frequently, here is something that might be alarming for you. If reports are to be believed cases of cyber threats in airlines are increasing. So next time you are travelling in an international airline you might want to check how strong the airline server is? Infact, a passenger in April did a similar thing which finally resulted into airport authorities and aviation industry taking up the cyber security issue more seriously.
The aviation industry is beefing up the efforts to make a concentrated push to engage and enlist international support on a global scale for combating the threat of cyber hackers.
The security of airlines and their vulnerability to cyber-attacks came to light after a security researcher claimed to have hacked inflight control systems by simply plugging into the airplane’s CAN (Controller Area Network) in April this year.
With Wi-Fi and electronics on board, airlines and air traffic management companies are sharing more information than before to make flying more efficient.
But with more technology comes the risk of more interfaces that can be exploited by attackers.
As part of steps taken to scale up the industry’s defences, a team has been put together by leading aviation industry associations to work on a declaration on cyber security to put to members of the United Nations’ aviation safety arm next year.
Meanwhile, Airlines have taken their own measures to tackle concerns. United, for instance, rewarded two hackers with a million air miles each after the two spotted significant vulnerabilities in the airline’s website, as a part of their cyber-security program.
(With inputs from Agencies)