Aerospace groups shore up cyber defence of ‘massive’ attack surface

Whenever cyber security risks to the aerospace industry are discussed, there is typically one catastrophic scenario that springs to mind: what if hackers could attack — and bring down — a plane in flight?

While this remains a highly unlikely scenario, it has nonetheless been a focus for the safety-conscious civil aviation and defence sectors. But boosting cyber security is not only about ensuring that an individual aircraft — and its navigation, air-ground communication, wireless and in-flight entertainment systems — are secure from digital intruders.