Editor's Note: Avionics & Cybersecurity

In response to connected avionics systems on modern civilian and military airplanes, civil aviation regulators all over the globe have been responding by introducing new policies, regulations and guidance for companies that are developing the next generation of communication, navigation and surveillance technologies.

Traditional avionics architectures are inherently designed to be separate from any data related interactions with the outside world, greatly reducing the opportunities to introduce malware. However, the increased use connectivity and the growth of system hardware/software complexity has increased the threat surface for modern aircraft systems.

At the regulatory level, two of the most notable cybersecurity developments of 2019 came from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which published two notices of proposed amendments on the topic – including NPA 2019-01 ‘Aircraft Cybersecurity’ and NPA 2019-07 ‘Management of Information Risks.’ While NPA 2019-01 introduces an acceptable means of compliance for cybersecurity certification requirements, NPA 2019-07 focuses on addressing cyber events that have the potential to impact the normal functioning of Europe’s air traffic system.

Below you will find articles that provide a baseline understanding of the latest regulatory and industry developments around how aircraft system cybersecurity is being addressed by the avionics industry on a global scale. Click these titles and give us your feedback on what topics you would like to see addressed in the future.

–Woodrow Bellamy III, Editor-in-Chief, Avionics International

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