Cyber Terrorism in Aviation Industry: Analytical Essay

In modern era, the term cyber terrorism has become common both at local as well as global levels, but still a solid definition of the term does not exist. After the 9/11 attacks this has become more confusing. Generally cyber terrorism is considered as the combination of terrorism and internet or cyberspace. It is generally thought of as illegal attacks and threats of being attacked against the networks, computer, as well as the information stored on computer when carried out to threaten a government or it’s public to gain the political or social objectives. An attack be categorized under cyber terrorism only if it causes violence against human, property or causes sufficient harm to frighten the people. (Gordon,Ford, 2003)

Many researchers have defined the cyber terrorism differently. In early years of 18th century the cyber terrorism was a concept involving threats from physical and cyber world including interactions of network and computer where people are able to share information in real time. (Samuel, Osman, Al-Khasawneh, & Duhaim , 2014). According to The U.S Federal Bureau of investigation the cyber terrorism is a criminal action committed by using computer systems and communication networks which causes violence, devastation or interruption of services for spreading fear because of uncertainty within a specific group of people, with the aim to motivate government or public to conform to a specific social, political or any ideological agenda. (Cyber Security and Threats: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications) Hence, generally it is any act of crime which causes enough damage to people of a society or property and spreads fear.

Further, like many other industries the aviation industry is also affected by cyber terrorism. The history of aviation industry can be distributed into six phases or periods. The first period lasted till the start of 17th century when people were imagining what a flying machine might be. The second period starts from the end of 18th century. During this period there was a start of the subjugation of the air with development of aerostation as well as various endeavors of slithering.

In this period first flights were made by motor vehicles having ability to take off on their own. The third period is First World War era in which the new weapon on the battlefield emerged. This period saw an unexpected shift to massive production. In this period pilot became professional. At the end of the First World War commercial air transport was launched and air force was created in many countries. During the Second World War the aviation was extensively used in the field of battle. This period was climax of aero plans. The jet engine and the radar was developed at the end of this World War. In second half of 2oth century after the war the first four jet airlines were developed and air transport became open to all at least in developed countries (Petrescu, et al., 2017).

Although, in 21st century the advances in aviation industry are beyond imagination but at present the aviation industry is facing numerous challenges on among them is cyber-attacks on aviation industry. The aviation industry is a popular target for global terrorist groups as there have been several efforts to destroy aircraft through explosive devices. A major event is the 9/11 attack that happened in the United States, resulting in the loss of many lives (Baker, 2015). There have been many cases of cyber- attacks at global level because of interruptions that control the respectability of data. No doubt, the aviation industry significantly contribute to the global economy. Hence, the probable disruption in this industry can cause huge losses.

Over many years, security threats in civil aviation has been considered challenging because of the cyber-physical systems and their amalgamation. The international civil aviation network are main dependent on Information Technology frameworks. Due to this reason this industry is more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Cyber-terrorism is a dilemma that has broadly increased in both private and public domains (Al Mazari, Anjariny, Habib & Nyakwende, 2018). These cyber- attacks include careful actions aimed at deceiving, degrading, disrupting, and destroying computer systems and networks (Scott & Trimarchi, 2017).

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In the aviation industry, the use of complex information technology has increased in the past years, for example, flight management systems. Theses developments have made the industry vulnerable to probable cyber-attackers. Furthermore, the link between multipart aircraft systems and their integration in a modern airliner can easily proliferate the influence of cyber-attacks in different systems.

Terrorism in aviation industry postures serious threats to the aviation industry internationally since these attacks are mainly targeted on airplanes and air systems. Therefore, the global aviation ecosystem is expected to create several layers of secured firewalls as a way of remaining safe and also pacifying the issue of cyber threats and cyber-terrorism. Specifically, the formation of a strong information technology framework is an important driver of development and proficiency, and it also aids in indorsing safety and security (Danik, Hryschuk & Gnatyuk, 2016).

Moreover, cyber-attacks on main infrastructures in aviation can have adverse impacts on the environment, society, and human lives. In order to enhance protection and pliability, there is need to ratify various approaches for evaluating security risks, attack identification, and safety monitoring (Fox, 2016). At present, security assessment has negligible contemplation of the safety contexts in place. Also, techniques and processes of safety responses do not include information on the security status of the components of information technology systems. However, the association between cybersecurity and safety management is hardly understood and pertinent information is not shared. Therefore, it creates a space for various malicious actors to carry out their activities secretly. In this research work, the main focus is on determining the nature terrorist cyber-attacks on the aviation industry, the effect on the nation, and possible solutions, if not for complete mitigation, at least to limit these attacks.

Research Problem

Aviation industry, though one of the most valuable industry when it comes to GDP at global, is facing some challenges but the most prominent is cyber- attack. There are have been many cases of cyber- attacks at global level for example the attack of 9/11. These attacks pose a serious threat to people, economy, and aviation industry both at local as well as global level. The main challenge is the mitigation of these threats. The current study intends to find main causes of these attacks and techniques to mitigate these attacks. The study also explores the effects of the attacks on the nation.

Research Objectives

The research aims at exploring the techniques through which terrorist cyber-attacks occur within the aviation industry and the effect these attacks have on the nation.

Specific Objectives

• Presentation of the stakeholders involved in the aviation industry.
• Determine the major sources of vulnerability of the industry to cyber-attacks.
• Assessment of the initiatives endorsed to mitigate cyber-attacks against commercial aircraft.

Research Questions

• What are we trying to protect?
• Why are cyber-attacks and intrusions prevalent in the aviation industry?
• What are the greatest challenges in cyber-attacks mitigation?
• Why are most attacks undetected?
• What motivates the terrorists to carry out cyber-crimes?
• How can we shorten the existing gaps and make the aviation industry more secure than it is currently?

Chapter Summary

Cyberterrorism commonly thought of as the blend of terrorism and internet or cyberspace. It is generally considered as illegal attacks and threats of being attacked against the networks, computer etc. The main reason for these attacks is complex link between the computer networks and aviation industry processes. Many processes in aviation industry are dependent on information technology frame work which makes this industry more prone to threats. There is a need for mitigation of these attacks.