New and Emerging Threats to Civil
Aviation and the Way Ahead
Date: 27th of September, 2010
Aws Al Khanjari
Director Aviation Security & Infrastructure
New and Emerging Threats
Agenda
1
Cyber Terrorism and Civil Aviation
2
Staff Screening
3
Cargo Security
4
Sharing of Threat Information and Increasing Security
Work within Regional Organisations
New and Emerging Threats
Cyber Terrorism and Civil Aviation
Definition
“a criminal act perpetrated by the use of computers and
telecommunications capabilities, resulting in violence,
destruction and/or disruption of services to create fear by
causing confusion and uncertainty within a given population,
with the goal of influencing a government or population to
conform to a particular political, social or ideological agenda”
New and Emerging Threats
Cyber Terrorism and Civil Aviation
Scenario
Terrorists taking over the air traffic control system to cause an
aircraft to crash or two planes to collide in flight.
New and Emerging Threats
Cyber Terrorism and Civil Aviation
Why would Civil Aviation be a target
Civil Aviation is an extensively interconnected international
infrastructure, interconnecting the world and spanning almost
every country on earth.
Civil Aviation infrastructure is extraordinarily dependent on
computer-telecommunications information systems; i.e. air
traffic control, navigation, reservations, aircraft flight control.
A collapse of public confidence in civil aviation safety will
have serious global economic and social consequences.
New and Emerging Threats
Cyber Terrorism and Civil Aviation
How secure are civil aviation systems
Civil aviation systems are quite secure because of significant
custom-engineered components not easily accessible or
understandable by attackers.
Civil aviation systems are inherently robust, having strong
back-up systems which are regularly tested in the course of
circumstances such as power cuts.
New and Emerging Threats
Cyber Terrorism and Civil Aviation
How secure are civil aviation systems
New systems are engineered or configured within an elaborate
security architecture.
The possibility of system failure or breakdown is a central
feature in the design and addressed through the inclusion of
redundant or parallel systems and subsystem.
New and Emerging Threats
Cyber Terrorism and Civil Aviation
What are the vulnerabilities
“The insider problem” : the potential for tampering with or
modifying specifications in installation or maintenance
manuals and flight management systems by people having
intimate knowledge of a given system.
Attacks on areas that are more easily targeted but could disrupt
civil aviation operations on a broad scale such as power
distribution, communication lines, administrative systems.
New and Emerging Threats
Be Part of the Chagne
“Once a new technology
rolls over you, if you’re not
part of the steamroller,
you’re part of the road.”
Stewart Brand
New and Emerging Threats
Staff Screening
Doc 8973, seventh edition- 2009
“ all persons, including flight and
cabin crew, as well as airport staff
must undergo screening before being
allowed access to an aircraft, sterile area
or security restricted area.”
New and Emerging Threats
Staff Screening
The challenges
Because staff screening has shown to be a very sensitive issue
(privacy concerns, favoritism, being a bad colleague, etc.) it is
still not implemented at all airports.
Operational and infrastructural reasons are sometimes used as
excuses not to screen all staff working at the airport.
New and Emerging Threats
Staff Screening
The inside threat:
Incidents show that airline or airport employees, or persons
posing as such, from time to time still facilitate or perpetrate
acts of unlawful interference!
New and Emerging Threats
Cargo Screening
Phenomenal Growth:
Al Maktoum International Airport,
which once complete will handle
up to 120 million passengers and
12 million tons of air cargo per
year. This includes the first stage
of DWC Al Maktoum International
Airport Cargo, with a capacity to
serve 5 million passengers and
handle over 600,000 tons of
cargo annually.
New and Emerging Threats
Cargo Screening
Vast Facilities:
 Introduction of vast cargo screening
facilities that is considered the main
part of the infrastructure.
 Introduction of Air Cargo Regulated
Agents.
 Moving the screening point from
the airport to the shipping agent.
New and Emerging Threats
The Way Ahead
Sharing of threat information and increasing security work within
regional organisations.
Mitigating and eliminating threats to civil aviation security
can only be achieved through the concerted effort of aviation
security regulators of all states.
The flow of critical information sharing between states about
new and innovative methods to target civil aviation should be
increased.
New and Emerging Threats
Increasing Regional Security Work
The UAE supports the concept of creating a specialist
programme to foster unity, harmonization and cooperation among
Middle East states in the interest of enhancing aviation security
in the Region, which will contribute towards dealing with
challenges and threats facing civil aviation security.
New and Emerging Threats
Increasing Regional Security Work
In 2010 the UAE has been elected chair of the Executive Council
of the Arab Civil Aviation Commission (ACAC). Especially
under the current circumstances of the industry ACAC will play
the role for which it was established, namely to develop general
planning of civil aviation among Arab countries and enhance
cooperation and coordination between member states
New and Emerging Threats
Increasing Regional Security Work
The Middle East Regional Aviation Security Conference in 2010
issued the "Abu Dhabi Joint Declaration" for aviation security,
providing for a global strategy and key principles and standards
to deal with aviation security challenges and actively contributing
to increasing cooperation and coordination among Middle East
states and member states of ICAO and enhancing their abilities to
provide highest levels of aviation security.
Thank You