USAIRE South West Chapter – Conference on Airbus Security – A talk by Pascal ANDREI, Chef Security Officer, Airbus, Sept. 22, 2017 – Blagnac (France)
By Irma Fubiani, Aerospace MBA Delegate, Full-Time Program, #FT18
A safe aircraft is not a secure aircraft. Safety and Security are different. An aircraft flies safely because it has passed airworthiness tests. Security is different: Aircraft are targets for hackers. For example, on its first flight, the A380 faced 200 cyber attacks; mostly from random IP attackers but also from real hackers.
Security has become a priority, and to test it Airbus has employed hackers for almost 10 years.
The company has raised the bar in the world of cyber security; helping establish regulations and certification with EASA and FAA, and it works together with all aircraft manufacturers to secure all airplanes:
But security is very much outside of Airbus’ control as well. Employees open attachments that could potentially infect the system. One of the issues is when someone plants a bug in a code of a small provider in the supply chain. This component integrates with larger and larger equipment and systems, and in the end there is alien software embedded. This is why it is critical to protect production: delays in aircraft deliveries are very costly and impact financial figures.
It is important to see security not as an obstacle but as an enabler. Digital transformation is pushing forward; and as information management develops, it needs to be secured. Furthermore it needs to be proactive, not reactive.
Airbus has over 650 digital programs, such as data analytics, augmented and virtual reality, 3D printing, IOT, etc. The use of these programs entails reinforcing security and data protection.
With regard to product security, Enterprise Automation Systems have to ensure the security of facility management services, video surveillance, access control systems, etc. Which in turn ensures the security of Industrial tool systems: production machines, testing tools, flight simulators which in turn ensure the integrity of the final product: aircraft, helicopters, launchers, etc.
In other words: security is essential in every part of the supply chain. Enterprises have to be concerned and take cyber security risks seriously. Security models have to be based on rapid detection and rapid responses; security operations need be elastic and agile, and data analytics, intelligent.
Mr. Pascal Andrei , Chief Security Officer – Conference USAIRE South West Chapter Blagnac (France) – Sept. 22, 2017
