Airservices Australia is looking to bolster cybersecurity in its long-delayed OneSKY-CMATS air traffic management system.
Speech to The AustralianRob Sharp, CEO of Airservices, said cybercriminals are trying to penetrate the organization on a daily basis, and three months of OneSKY’s revised implementation schedule are dedicated to beefing up cybersecurity measures.
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“The reality is that every time we invest, the game changes and we have to put more layers, more protection,” he said.
“I suspect that geopolitically that requirement is not going to change anytime soon.
“There’s a combination of layers of security that come together, so when we talk cyber we’re talking about the entire ecosystem, not just the software. We have a lot of people, so we will increase security and also look at insider threats.”
According to Australian Federal Police Cyber Command Deputy Commissioner Richard Chin, the AFP has more than 100 officers investigating cybercrime and coordinating with counterpart agencies around the world to combat threat actors.
“Australia is just one of many countries that have had this problem and of course overseas threat actors aren’t really concerned about where they are in the world as long as they have the desired effect,” he said. The Australian.
“The AFP has always had strong networks overseas and we’ve done it in other types of traditional crime – it’s just that in this criminal space we do it very often, it’s very important and it’s almost impossible for one agency to do it alone.”
Australia will become the first country in the world to unify civil and military air traffic management, and Sharp told the Australian Association for Unmanned Systems (AAUS) in June that OneSKY “will provide comprehensive airspace awareness and more efficient air services.”
“It will significantly transform current Defense air traffic management from isolated airfield operations to a national capability and enhance our national security and emergency response capabilities, enabling closer collaboration and information sharing between civil and defense airspace,” he said.
“Operational launch of OneSKY is on track for air services in 2027 and for defense between 2028 and 2029. When complete, it will be the most advanced air traffic management system in the world, future-proofing Australian aviation security by helping us adapt to the changing aviation landscape.
“It will also strengthen the Australian aviation industry through a significant capacity upgrade while generating approximately $2.7 billion in economic benefits over its expected 20-year lifespan through optimizing air travel, saving fuel and reducing carbon emissions.”
Initially announced in 2014 and contracted by technology company Thales in 2017, the project has since faced significant technical, schedule and cost challenges.
