Securing the transportation sector in the digital age

Securing the transportation sector in the digital age

Nozomi Networks enables transportation companies secure OT and IoT architectures and reveals its key solutions into how regional transportation and logistics companies can secure operations in the digital age. Thales, another leader in the cybersecurity transportation field, has revealed its connected and cybersecure solution which will improve interoperability for airlines and pilots and optimise flight paths to help reduce the carbon footprint of airline operations.

Nozomi Networks, a global leader in Operational Technology (OT) and Internet of Things (IoT) security, has demonstrated the breadth of its portfolio comprising leading OT and IoT security solutions and how its technologies can secure modern transportation.

Cybercriminals can create immediate havoc by targeting OT networks and IT devices used for critical transportation infrastructure. Global companies like Maersk, Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Matson have all experienced catastrophic attacks in the recent past. Transportation and logistics companies are highly targeted by cyber adversaries as they have more business revenues and reputation at stake. According to Gartner, by 2025, cyberattackers will have weaponised Operational Technology (OT) environments to successfully harm or kill humans.

Bachir Moussa, Regional Director MEAR at Nozomi Networks, said: “Threats to the OT/IT environment are at the peak. It is now more critical than ever to put in place nimble security controls in your cybersecurity architecture, especially in the transportation industry. Today, everything is reliant on technology and increasingly tech leaders in the transportation industry are making OT/IT security a top priority. From recent incidents, we know perpetrators will do whatever it takes to cause irrevocable harm to transportation organisations.”

Nozomi Networks’ offers a scalable, cloud-based SaaS solution, Vantage, as well as other key solutions from its portfolio. Critical infrastructure defences are maturing significantly – thanks, in part, to progress when it comes to public and private cooperative efforts aimed at tightening defences – and Nozomi Networks has made a significant contribution to this awareness with innovative security solutions. Additionally, government guidelines, mandates and legislation in combination with self-governance at the sector level will help establish and enforce a standard baseline for critical infrastructure cybersecurity.

Thales, a global technology leader offering cybersecurity solutions to the transportation sector, has been selected by Airbus to equip its commercial airliners with the most powerful and innovative flight management system on the market.

The new flight management system (FMS), which is based on the PureFlyt product and has been adapted to meet the specific needs of Airbus, will be developed by Thales to equip Airbus commercial airliners – and in particular the A320, A330 and A350 – with service entry planned for the end of 2026.

With its expertise in avionics, connectivity and cybersecurity and air traffic management, Thales is the only European company to offer end-to-end onboard and ground-based solutions that help to meet the ambitious objectives of optimising flight operations in terms of the air transport sector’s carbon footprint.

The new system will improve interoperability for airlines and pilots and optimise flight paths to help reduce the carbon footprint of airline operations.

The FMS is the ‘brain’ of the aircraft. It is used to prepare flights, calculate and provide the crew with the information they need, set flight parameters and ensure aircraft guidance throughout the flight and during approach and landing procedures, based on fuel efficiency factors and instructions from air traffic control. Designed from the outset to be connected and cybersecure, the system maximises the benefits of access to open-world data including real-time weather information. By linking the new FMS with non-avionics systems — such as the pilot’s Electronic Flight Bag and airline operational control centres — the solution makes it quicker and easier to analyse flight plan revisions, providing the pilot with the best route and simplifying interaction with air traffic control. It will help to ease airport congestion, cut fuel consumption, decrease noise pollution and reduce pilot workload.

PureFlyt draws on 40 years’ of experience in flight management systems and over 100 million flight hours with Thales’ current generation of FMS systems, enabling airlines to benefit from an optimal combination of flight safety, operational efficiency and fuel savings. This comprehensive solution includes navigation and performance databases for precise calculation of optimal flight paths and flight times. Airbus’s choice of a system that is compatible with all its aircraft will enhance fleet interoperability for airlines and make it easier for pilots to make the transition from one Airbus aircraft type to another. The new system, which is based on the PureFlyt product and has been adapted to meet the specific needs of Airbus, will also be available as a retrofit option for aircraft currently in service.

“As the only player in flight management technologies in Europe, Thales is proud to contribute to the Digital Transformation of the airways with our flight management system, and delighted to have this opportunity to continue to support our partner, Airbus,” said Yannick Assouad, Executive Vice President, Avionics, Thales. “Our connected and cybersecure solution will improve interoperability for airlines and pilots and optimise flight paths to help reduce the carbon footprint of airline operations.” 

Click below to share this article

Browse our latest issue

Intelligent CXO

View Magazine Archive