One thing we all realize as we move forward in life is that our body is a system of systems and with time things happen that can and do cause one or more systems to malfunction. When this happens we sometimes ignore the issue and hope it goes away. It’s a risk based decision and not as sustainable as we would like it to be. At the very minimum it is a good idea to get an occasional checkup to make sure things are going well. If the problem doesn’t go away we may decide to have it looked at more closely. Either through the closer look or the checkup a good healthcare professional can determine if something needs to be looked at more closely, and what commonly happens is that more in depth analysis takes place, and generally this means extensive lab analysis.
Now what is great about a thorough lab analysis is that it allows for correlation between the various systems which can and often does better inform the analyst about the overall condition of the patient. Seeing something like elevated blood sugar, as an example, is perhaps more concerning if the doctor also sees high cholesterol and high blood pressure. All the information in aggregate form helps better inform the action plan.
The same is true for any system, and certainly true when it comes to aircraft, and specifically when looking at cybersecurity. If something shows up in a cybersecurity log that is considered worthy of a closer look, it stands to reason that the various connected systems that inform that log may also be worthy of a closer look. Moreover, sometimes an issue that may very well be a cybersecurity issue does not show up in a security log, but may show up as an anomaly in another system log. The truth is that hackers can be quite clever. If they know what may trigger a warning in one system then they will often enter through another trusted system by any of a number of means, such as spoofing.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recently issued a report that raises some concerns regarding the FAA’s lack of adequate mitigations and documentation with respect to cybersecurity threats that airlines may potentially face (https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-108439#summary_recommend). While it is indeed a good step towards better understanding of potential cyber threats, it does not address the complexity involved in understanding the infinite space problem associated with cybersecurity threats. Just like the human body, there are an infinite number of ways a system can be misused and things can go wrong.
What we are trying to do at WaveDash is provide the tools that can help airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and the entire aviation industry organize the enormous amount of information into an easy to understand set of directives, and help the industry form action plans to address the identified issues as they arise in real time. It is an ongoing process and through cooperation from the various organizations comprising the airline industry, we continue to make excellent progress and are receiving very positive feedback from those we work with on a daily basis. We look forward to working with the industry as we work towards taking the burden out of keeping things secure.
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