The travel industry is currently experiencing a rapid recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, there was a significant increase in the number of passengers taking to the skies, with over 747 million people flying, marking a 125.9% increase from the previous year. Experts predict that the industry will fully recover to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023. However, one key aspect that plays a vital role in the success of the aviation industry is often overlooked: data.
Data is the hidden force behind every airline, powering crucial areas such as safety, travel paths, aircraft repairs, and the overall customer experience. It’s estimated that an average aircraft generates more than 20 terabytes of engine information per hour, and this is just a fraction of the data being created and exchanged throughout the entire travel process. From purchasing a ticket to scanning an ID and buying meals or drinks onboard, airline employees and customers are constantly creating and exchanging data. This wealth of data can be harnessed to enhance the overall experience for pilots, flight attendants, and passengers alike. However, it’s crucial for businesses to handle this data with care to ensure security, privacy, and governance.
The aviation industry has seen an alarming rise in cyberattacks since 2020. Earlier this year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) launched an investigation into a potential cybersecurity incident after a researcher discovered a copy of the 2019 no-fly list on an unsecured internet server. This list contained names and birthdays of individuals prohibited from flying on commercial flights to, from, or within the United States. Adversaries are not solely interested in national secrets; they also seek sensitive personal information. Last year, threat actors breached Pegasus Airlines and gained access to 6.5 terabytes of sensitive data, including source code, staff data, and electronic flight bag data.
As the busy summer travel season commences, it is crucial for the aviation industry and its partners to take the necessary steps to safeguard their most valuable assets: data. One way in which airlines aim to stay competitive is by focusing on two main elements of their business. Firstly, they strive to elevate the goods and services they offer in order to meet the ever-growing expectations of modern travelers. Secondly, they continuously innovate new ways to improve safety standards, on-time arrivals, comfort, and pricing. In both cases, speed and freedom to innovate are essential.
When it comes to innovating the customer experience, airlines are going beyond in-flight Wi-Fi. They now offer a range of cloud-based amenities to enhance entertainment and convenience during flights. Passengers can connect with each other to compete in games and socialize. They can even shop for last-minute merchandise in the clouds, to be picked up at their destination terminal. The extent to which airlines are willing to go to please their customers knows no bounds. However, these amenities contribute to an influx of data, often including sensitive information such as payment details and access credentials. In this environment, it’s common for unknown or “shadow” data to unknowingly lurk throughout the organization’s network.
The aviation industry has benefitted greatly from the transition to cloud computing. Major airports around the world have implemented technologies such as facial recognition, wearables, and virtual reality to enhance travel experiences and improve safety for passengers. Artificial intelligence is also being used to advance sustainability efforts, such as fuel conservation, the reduction of food waste, and predicting logistical disruptions. However, the proliferation of data in the aviation industry also increases the risk of adversarial activity and data breaches. Data democratization, which enables activities that benefit cloud-based businesses, also introduces significant risks due to the lack of visibility into cloud data.
Cloud computing and digital transformation have expanded the attack surface that IT teams need to defend. Developers often deploy new databases without the knowledge or consent of IT, resulting in a limited view of data across the environment. This lack of context and visibility hinders efficient allocation of resources and makes it challenging to accurately assess data security posture. Not all data is equally sensitive, yet security controls are often applied uniformly throughout the environment. The complexity of the environment also makes it difficult to monitor for attacks in progress or detect data leaks effectively.
Protecting data in an increasingly complex web of cloud platforms and applications is a significant challenge for the aviation industry. However, it is possible to leverage the agility and scalability of cloud computing while maintaining data security. The industry must adopt modern cloud data security solutions to address these challenges effectively.
Agile cloud data security can bring significant value to the aviation industry by empowering developers and data scientists with stronger data protection techniques. This approach allows sensitive, regulated, and proprietary data to be safeguarded in the cloud without compromising speed, convenience, and innovation. Agile cloud data security is built on four primary components: discovery, prioritization, security, and monitoring.
Firstly, organizations must have complete data observability to discover and classify all data in their hybrid, multi-cloud environments. They need to know what data they have, who owns it, and where it is located. Data security and governance require the ability to find, characterize, and classify both known and unknown data throughout the environment.
Once data is discovered, it must be prioritized based on its context and sensitivity. Analyzing how data is used and where it is accessed allows organizations to allocate resources and prioritize protection efforts effectively.
Next, organizations must strengthen their security posture by reducing the attack surface and enforcing data security best practices and policies. This involves implementing measures to protect data based on its sensitivity and compliance requirements.
Lastly, effective cloud data security requires continuous monitoring and vigilance. IT teams should detect new data assets or changes to existing assets and monitor the environment for access anomalies or indications of data leaks or compromise.
Agile cloud data security offers more control over data, reduces the attack surface for innovation, and provides secure support for daily activities. It transforms security teams from gatekeepers to gate openers, enabling innovation in the aviation industry. With greater innovation, the industry can protect its bottom line and ensure the safety and satisfaction of the millions of passengers it serves each year.
In conclusion, the aviation industry is on its way to a full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it must not overlook the critical role that data plays in its success. The industry must prioritize data security, privacy, and governance to protect its most valuable assets. By adopting agile cloud data security solutions, the aviation industry can leverage the benefits of cloud computing while safeguarding sensitive data. With improved data protection, the industry can continue to innovate and provide exceptional travel experiences for passengers around the world.