Assessing Aircraft Security: A Comprehensive Survey and Methodology for Evaluation

Abstract

The sophistication and complexity of cyber attacks and the variety of targeted platforms have grown in recent years. Adversaries are targeting a wide range of platforms, e.g., enterprise networks, mobile phones, PCs, and industrial control systems. The past few years have also seen various cyber attacks on transportation systems, including attacks on ports, trains, airports, and aircraft. Due to the enormous potential damage inherent in attacking vehicles carrying many passengers and the lack of security measures applied in existing airborne systems, the vulnerability of aircraft systems is one of the most concerning topics in the vehicle security domain. This article provides a comprehensive review of aircraft systems and components and their various networks, emphasizing the cyber threats they are exposed to and the impact of a cyber attack on these components and networks and an aircraft’s essential capabilities. In addition, we present a comprehensive and in-depth taxonomy that standardizes the knowledge and understanding of cyber security in the avionics field. The taxonomy divides attack techniques into relevant categories (tactics) reflecting the various phases of the adversarial attack lifecycle and maps existing attacks according to the MITRE ATT&CK methodology. To contribute to increased understanding of the potential risks, we categorize the identified threats related to the various systems based on STRIDE threat model and demonstrate the practical application of this taxonomy in the analysis of real-world attack use cases. Finally, we review various mitigation techniques aimed at addressing security risks related to aircraft systems. Future work directions are presented as guidelines for industry and academia.