How confident are you in your organization’s cyber resiliency?
All Part 91 and 135 operators face cyber threats, including ransomware, data breaches, email compromises and vulnerabilities introduced by third-party vendors, and experts at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) shared how cyber attacks occur, what makes business aviation an attractive target and best practices for managing the risk.
“The digital footprint of 135 and 91 is expanding and so is the cyber risk,” said Clifford Callender, ACVRM / of Aviation Cyber and Vendor Risk Management.
“Social engineering is huge. Attackers gain trust and come in as a friend,” said Josh Wheeler of GoGo Air, adding this type of attack might look like a legitimate vendor and try to create a sense of urgency.
Rick Snider, of Flight Pro International, asked speakers about new risks created by using artificial intelligence, or AI. According to the experts, AI hasn’t significantly changed the types of cyber attacks, but it has significantly accelerated the pace of them.
“The attacks are not different – they’re faster; they’re cleaner,” Callender explained. For example, just a few seconds of a person’s voice can be used to spoof an authentic-sounding message from that person.
“Ransomeware attacks often come down to a lack of training. These attacks are looking much more well-crafted with the advent of AI. They’re cleverly written,” said Wheeler.
It’s also important to know how your third-party vendors are using AI. Ask your vendors to what extent your organization’s data is being accessed by AI.
While AI can create new cyberthreats, it can be a tool in fighting cyber attacks. Callender suggested using it to detect unusual or anomalous activity, create a plan to respond to a cyber attack and help you assess third-party vendors at scale.
Experts wrapped up the session with several defenses to mitigate the risk of cyberattacks:
- Keep your system backups on separate systems, off-site.
- Make sure people only have access to what they need to do their job.
- Separate related duties. The person authorizing an expense shouldn’t also sign the check.
- Deploy multi-factor authentication across your entire enterprise.
- Train employees to recognize, avoid and report cyberattacks.
- Disable systems or tools that are no longer used or obsolete.
- Practice working manually with redundant systems, so you’re able to keep operating if your systems are subject to a ransomware attack.
- Require vendors to notify you in the event of a cyberattack on their systems.
- Scan your systems regularly to identify vulnerabilities.