Cyber Attacks on Airports

Airports, serving as critical infrastructure nodes, are increasingly becoming targets for cyber attacks around the world. These assaults range from disruptions to flight operations and passenger processing to breaches of sensitive data.

Types of Cyber Attacks on Airports:

• Ransomware: This involves encrypting airport data and demanding payment for its release. For instance, the ransomware attack on the Bristol Airport in 2018 severely disrupted flight display screens and airport services.

• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS): These attacks flood airport systems with traffic to overwhelm and disable them. In 2017, the Ukrainian airports were among the multiple infrastructures hit by a massive NotPetya ransomware attack, which was also a kind of DDoS attack.

• System Infiltration and Data Breach: Attackers gain unauthorized access to sensitive systems, stealing data such as passenger information. Air Canada’s mobile app suffered a breach in 2018, leading to the compromise of personal information of 20,000 users.

• Phishing and Social Engineering: Targeting airport employees to gain access to secure systems. For example, in a spear-phishing campaign, the attackers targeted several US airports in 2013.

Threat Actor Groups:

• Nation-State Actors: Countries often engage in cyber espionage or sabotage to gain competitive advantages or disrupt the services of other nations. NotPetya was attributed to state-sponsored actors by the U.S., U.K., and others.

• Organized Cyber Criminals: These groups target airports primarily for financial gain through ransomware or data theft. They are highly organized and use sophisticated tools.

• Hacktivist Groups: They aim to disrupt airport operations to make political statements or protest against certain actions or policies of airlines or governments.

• Insider Threats: Occasionally, disgruntled employees or those with access to secure systems can maliciously or unintentionally become a source of security breaches.

Response and Mitigation:

To counter these threats, airports worldwide are bolstering their cybersecurity postures by investing in advanced threat detection systems, conducting regular security training, and collaborating with national cybersecurity agencies. Additionally, establishing quick response protocols and engaging in threat intelligence sharing can significantly mitigate the impact of such attacks.

In summary, the cyber threat landscape for airports is complex and evolving, with various actor groups employing a range of tactics to exploit vulnerabilities in the aviation sector. The response to this threat requires a multi-layered approach combining technology, policy, and collaboration.