In-flight connectivity has introduced a raft of well-documented passenger and operational benefits, but it has a more sinister flip-side. As aircraft become more and more connected, the aviation industry faces an ongoing battle to ensure it is always several steps ahead of constantly evolving threats to cybersecurity. "The cyber-security risks associated with [In-Flight Entertainment] IFE systems are just like those associated with other electronic systems in today's connected world - that a malicious hacker tries to penetrate a system with the intent to disrupt services or steal information," says Bruno Nouzille, technical director for avionics at Thales. "However, we want to be clear that when we talk about a connected IFE system we are talking about a system that goes through very stringent qualification standards, testing and regulatory safety certification to enable it to be installed on an aircraft. Complementary to this, specific security risk analysis and penetration testing methods are used to validate the robustness of the system to defend against cyber-attacks." Nouzille stresses that this is a "continuous process," which is updated to ensure systems remain secured from the "ever-evolving cybersecurity threatscape."
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