Cybersecurity Vulnerability Analysis and Countermeasures of Commercial Aircraft Avionic Systems

Nowadays, most commercial aircraft use systems with innovative technologies and unprecedented infrastructure of avionics applications which include cyber technologies. Airplane passengers are now using aviation cyber technologies when purchasing tickets, checking in at the airline counter, passing through airport security, and connecting to Wi-Fi and the embedded inflight entertainment system. Cyber technologies and connectivity expose aviation to a dangerous and costly world of cyber threats that pose a major challenge of an attack which makes the risks difficult to understand or to define. In addition, the opportunities for attacks continually grow as new services and systems are developed. This thesis looks at understanding these cybersecurity threats and countermeasures of avionics network systems, and their associated defense safety mechanisms and risk analysis will help to pave a secure path toward the increase of protection of our future aviation