Resilience of Aviation Cyber-Physical Systems to Malicious Attacks

The inter-connectivity of critical aviation operations are the prime targets for Advance Persistent Threats (APTs) and others malicious actors due to increasingly relying on the Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). This paper examines the current cyber resilience of aviation CPS to such cyber threats, emerging trends, and proposing new and effective resilience strategies. Using a multi-pronged approach, data were collected through survey from the aviation professionals in the state of Qatar. Quantitative analysis was conducted on survey data to assess trends in threat perception and resilience measures, while qualitative analysis of interviews provided in-depth insights into current vulnerabilities and effective mitigation strategies show that outdated software, insufficient access controls, and complex supply chains increase the risk to advanced persistent threats (APTs) and other sophisticated attacks. Our findings can assist the industry leaders, policymakers, and cybersecurity professionals to get valuable insights to safeguard the aviation ecosystem against the growing cyber threats.