Cybertech Startup Aims to Keep Aircraft Safe
“Everything [in the cockpit] is now focused around data. The intervention of the actual pilot is only in case there is a need — they say that the pilot is there in order to make sure that everything is running, but he’s not allowed to touch anything,” Tenenbaum says.
It’s not easy, especially due to the low-tech infrastructure that many current aircraft operate on, but in the event that a hacker manages to get into the pilot’s controls, it’s very bad news for those onboard.
“If you enter the cockpit from a cyber perspective, you take control of the flight. You can drop the flight from the sky. You can divert the course. You can do many bad things.”
SkyRay
To tackle the multitude of prevalent vulnerabilities head-on, Cyviation employs a multifaceted approach.
Its latest offering, SkyRay, conducts vulnerability assessments using digital twins of aircraft models, circumventing the need for physical penetration tests that could jeopardize airworthiness.
The company is also pioneering the idea of integrating cyber breach events into flight simulators to enhance pilots’ preparedness; and it has developed an onboard system, SkyBeep, that alerts staff of a cyberattack in real time, potentially saving the data, money or even lives of those on board.
“We are building up a set of tools that automate the ability to manage aircraft cyber risk and build up their cyber resilience capabilities,” Tenebaum says.
Looking at Every Scenario
To fuel its endeavors, Cyviation recently secured $4 million in funding as part of a larger round, and plans to launch a Series A round to boost research and development, business development and marketing. The 10-person company is based in Herzliya.
The imperative for advanced aircraft cyber defense is further underscored by projections of exponential growth in the aviation cybersecurity market: Technavio forecasts a substantial increase in market value between 2022 and 2027.
Moreover, as aviation regulators worldwide ramp up efforts to enforce stricter cybersecurity standards, the need for proactive defense strategies becomes even more pressing.
“In my view, not every aircraft will be prone to a terror attack. But all aircraft will be prone to financially motivated cyber attackers,” says Tennenbaum. “That’s why we’re looking at every kind of scenario, approach and network.”
The cat-and-mouse competition between hacker and cybersecurity expert will only continue to get more elaborate as new technologies emerge, but with companies such a Cyviation offering comprehensive defenses, passengers can fly more comfortably — at least until the guy in the window seat needs them to move so he can get to the bathroom again.
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Zachy Hennessey is a writer and editor at ISRAEL21c. This article is published courtesy of Israel21c.
