AIAA White Paper Calls for Cyber Protection in the Aerospace Industry Written 12 January 2021

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 12, 2021 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has published a white paper on cybersecurity, “Aerospace Cybersecurity: Enduring Challenges, Enduring Solutions; Bringing Cyber Protection to the Heart of the Aerospace Industry.” The white paper, available to download, includes extended findings from the AIAA Aerospace Cybersecurity Market Study (2020).

“AIAA spent 2020 bringing cybersecurity front and center. Importantly, our Aerospace Cybersecurity Steering Group has been the driving force behind our increased focus on this topic. Their findings are informing AIAA’s position on enhancing cyber protection in aerospace. We look forward to making continued progress together in 2021,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA Executive Director.

In addition to the work of the Aerospace Cybersecurity Steering Group, AIAA’s Aerospace Cybersecurity Market Study measured the aerospace community’s level of concern with cybersecurity. Nearly 75 percent of respondents expressed strong interest in AIAA’s efforts to promote cybersecurity awareness.

The AIAA Aerospace Cybersecurity Market Study also found:

  • Strong demand exists to increase cybersecurity awareness tailored to the aerospace industry.
  • Cybersecurity is beginning to be included in managing supply chain, development, engineering, and production processes.
  • Academic partners believe cybersecurity curriculum is needed for university students, as well as current industry professionals.

AIAA is already developing content and events to promote the integration of cybersecurity into aerospace practice on a par with safety and mission assurance. The next event is:

Virtual Capture-The-Flag (CTF) competition
Friday, January 22, 12:30 p.m.
No charge, advance registration required

  • A competitive learning lab for aerospace professionals of all skill and experience levels. Developed by Embry-Riddle, participants will solve general cybersecurity challenges and progress to aerospace-specific challenges such as decrypting navigation data and finding bugs in satellite ground station systems.

Also, hear more about the CTF at the 2021 AIAA SciTech Forum, Tuesday, January 12, 12 noon.

Media contact: Rebecca B. Gray, RebeccaG@aiaa.org, 804.397.5270

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.