With the expansion of the information technology application and the rapid development of wireless network technology, the aviation industry is also undergoing modernization and digitization. From the paper record and electronic paper documentation; the improvement of aviation communication technology and unmanned driving, the digitization of the aviation industry is changing every aspect of its operations.

With the increasing amount of information, aviation-related organizations and companies have inevitably become the target of hackers and criminals. According to data by Netscout, from 2017 to 2018, cyberattacks on air passenger services increased nearly by 150 times. The report from the World Economic Forum 2020 pointed out that among the top 100 international airports in Skytrax's global ranking, 97 airports already having various kind of information security concerns. Cyber-attacks have a great impact on the aviation industry. There are two main directions of cyber-attacks on the aviation industry so far. Hackers will invade and steal sensitive personal data from customer databases or perform denial-of-service attacks on daily operating systems, such as ticketing systems.

Apart from the general impact on the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information systems, cyber-attacks also have the opportunity to interfere with the operation of flight equipment and threaten the personal safety of passengers and pilots. In the past, flight equipment mainly relied on the radio or physical storage devices for data transmission. Due to the limitation of format and equipment feasibility, data was often more difficult to be interfered with by civil equipment. With the current digitization of the aviation industry, some civil data transmission systems such as satellite, 5G and WiFi will gradually be adopted for a large number of data transmissions, such as uploading instant flight data and updating database of navigation. These could increase the speed and reliability of data transmission, but at the same time increase the risk of information being intercepted and tampered with.

With the rapid development of information technology in the aviation industry, aviation information security will become essential. In April 2019, the International Air Transport Association (ITAT) held the first aviation cyber security round table in Singapore and recommend there should be an application of aviation information security in various aspects in the future. The meeting pointed out that the aviation industry must introduce information security systems while establishing and developing aviation-related information technology. The proposals recommended formulating information security accreditation standard for airports; implementing flight equipment based on safety and implement a system for intrusion prevention on aircraft. And more information security professionals are needed in the aviation industry, to raise the information security awareness of all sectors through training. This could also help to be more comprehensive preparation for information security under the rapid digitization in the aviation industry.

Adrian Shin

Ringus Solution Enterprise Limited 

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