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Airservices Australia is looking to bolster cyber security on its delayed OneSKY-CMATS air traffic management system as it faces a barrage of cyber attack attempts.
Speaking to The Australian, Airservices CEO Rob Sharp said cyber criminals are attempting to penetrate the organisation on a daily basis, with three months of OneSKY’s revised implementation timeline devoted to hardening cyber security measures.
“The reality is, every time we invest, the game changes and you’ve got to put more layers in it, more protection,” he said.
“I suspect geopolitically that requirement is not going to change anytime soon.
“There’s a combination of security layers that all come together, so when we talk cyber, we’re talking that whole ecosystem, not just the software. We’ve got a lot of people, so we’ll be upping the security and looking at insider threats as well.”
According to Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner of Cyber Command Richard Chin, the AFP has more than 100 officers investigating cyber crime, and coordinates with counterpart agencies around the world to combat threat actors.
“Australia is but one of many countries who’ve had this issue, and of course the threat actors who are offshore aren’t really concerned about which part of the world it is as long as they have the desired effect,” he told The Australian.
“The AFP has always had strong networks overseas, and we’ve done that in other traditional crime types; it’s just in this crime space we do it very frequently, it’s very important, and it’s almost impossible for one agency to do it alone.”
Australia is set to become the first country in the world to unify civil and military air traffic management, with Sharp telling the Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems (AAUS) in June that OneSKY will “provide comprehensive airspace awareness and more efficient air services”.
“It will significantly transform Defence’s current air traffic management from isolated airfield operations to a national capability and enhance our national security and emergency response capabilities, allowing closer collaboration and sharing of information between civil and defence airspace,” he said.
“Operational rollout for OneSKY is on track for Airservices in 2027 and Defence between 2028 and 2029. When complete, it will be the most advanced air traffic management system in the world, future-proofing Australian aviation safety by helping us adapt to the changing aviation landscape.
“It will also strengthen the Australian aviation industry through a significant capability uplift while delivering approximately $2.7 billion in economic benefits over its expected 20-year life through optimised air travel, fuel savings and reduced carbon emissions.”
Initially announced in 2014 and contracted to technology firm Thales in 2017, the project has since faced significant technical, schedule and cost challenges.
This article was originally published on Australian Aviation, Cyber Daily’s sister brand.
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