The Aviation cyber Threat Landscape - A Growing Web of Risk
Aviation has always been an engineering marvel. But as aircraft become more digital, interconnected, and autonomous, they also become more exposed.
The cyber threat landscape in aviation is expanding, both in volume and sophistication.
It’s No Longer Just IT - It’s Air Traffic
Cybersecurity in aviation used to focus on backend systems like airline databases, booking portals, and ground operations. But today’s threats reach into the sky. Attackers target flight management systems, satellite communications, ADS-B transmissions, and even GPS.
From ransomware in airport networks to spoofed signals in the cockpit, the entire aviation ecosystem is now a viable target.
Vulnerability by Design
Many existing aviation systems were developed in an ear where connectivity was rare and cyberattack were unthinkable. As a result, many protocols lack encryption, authentication, and redundancy. This creates openings for:
Spoofing or hijacking aircraft location data
Injecting false traffic alerts into control systems
Interrupting SATCOM or navigation with jamming
Exfiltrating sensitive aircraft or passenger data mid-flight
Resilience Through Reinvention
At StratoSentinel, we see this landscape not with feat, but with focus. Our mission is to build systems that assume the worst and still operate safely. That means developing embedded solutions that work offline, verify inputs autonomously, and adapt to contested environments.
Cybersecurity is not an add-on. It’s a design principle, especially at 35,000 feet.
Let’s build a safer, smarter aviation future.
If your organization is working at the intersection of aviation and cybersecurity, we’d love to connect.
