SECURING THE SKIES
PREPARING CYBER-READY PILOTS AND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
Embry-Riddle students and faculty are helping to identify and mitigate cybersecurity threats in all areas of aviation.
The aviation industry’s reliance on technology introduces new cyber threats.
Avionics Cybersecurity The avionics cybersecurity project delved into the testing of avionic systems to preemptively address vulnerabilities. Using simulation to create realistic avionic environments, the project mimicked aircraft systems for penetration testing. Students gained insights into complex avionics, and the project discovered a major vulnerability in an app used with Electronic Flight Bags, resulting in security being upgraded.
Can Crews and Controllers Handle the Added Cyber Defense Workload? Pilots want to be aware and in control of cyber incidents, especially those attacks targeting avionics and other critical systems. However, tension arises from the industry’s opinion that cybersecurity tasks increase the workload for pilots and controllers. Our continuing research in experimenting with pilots and air traffic controllers in lab settings promises invaluable insights into understanding crew tactics, techniques and procedures and human factors involved. We anticipate future research will contribute to the development of effective cybersecurity measures, crew training programs and regulatory frameworks.
A resilient approach to protecting the aviation ecosystem against cyberattacks means the human element should be considered a defense layer. To study the impact of cyberattacks on pilots and air traffic controllers and prepare them to be cyber-ready, the CIS department has conducted interdisciplinary research projects involving controlled flight and airspace simulations. What Happens When Crews or Controllers Face Operational Cyberattacks? In our flight simulators and Air Traffic Control (ATC) lab, we created realistic cyber threat scenarios to assess how cyberattacks impacted pilots and air traffic controllers. We analyze how the resulting stress can affect decision-making and coordination because understanding these human factors is crucial for developing effective responses to cyber threats. Our experiments provide insights for strengthening overall cyber resilience. For example, they help develop realistic training scenarios of simulated cyberattacks that train pilots and controllers to better detect, respond to and recover from real-world incidents. This research also impacts Embry-Riddle as an FAA Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) school, helping address a cybersecurity education gap in controller training by combining multiple disciplines and introducing cybersecurity into the curriculum and benefiting 32 AT-CTI schools nationwide.
Enterprise Security and Factory Concerns
Recognizing the expanding digital landscape, this collaborative project teaches students and employees how to address emerging cyber threats to enterprise IT and factory production processes, ensuring the protection of intellectual property and maintaining integrity in the manufacturing cycle. Aircraft IoT Security Boeing’s support extends to IoT security within aircraft, where interconnected devices play a crucial role, such as in passenger baggage logistics. This project currently focuses on securing passenger baggage tags within the aircraft and at airports. These innovative projects, involving Boeing’s industry expertise and the CIS department’s student talent, faculty mentorship and academic rigor, exemplify a successful partnership at the forefront of aviation cybersecurity.
A Skyline of Innovative Projects Redefining Aviation Cybersecurity Excellence
Since 2019, The Boeing Company has collaborated with the CIS department in a partnership that supports capstone and graduate projects. Led by CIS faculty and Boeing industry experts, the projects are designed to tackle emerging challenges in the industry and reinforce our shared commitment to technical excellence and workforce development. Aircraft and Airspace Security The inaugural Boeing capstone project focused on fortifying airspace security in response to the growing mid-air collision risk from drones. The collaborative effort resulted in a system to provide precise locations of uncrewed aircraft and address incidents of airspace intrusion. Recent milestones include a successful flight test and integration of FAA’s required drone Remote ID, which demonstrated the project’s feasibility.
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