Cybersecurity Research Continues With FAA Grant

Oak Creek WI

29 October, 2020

9:12 PM

Description

OAK CREEK,WI— Astronautics Corporation of America received additional research and development funding from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to execute the second major phase of its Aircraft Systems Information Security/Protection risk assessment contract, according to a media release Thursday. The contract for this portion of Phase 2 includes operational activities consistent withearlier research, including advanced studies of air-ground communications in order to identifyvulnerabilities and propose mitigations, a spokesperson told Patch. Astronautics—a member of the Cyber Safety - Commercial Aviation Team (CS-CAT)—will present information to and acquire feedback from CS-CAT that may be included inthe final assessment report being prepared for the FAA. CS-CAT is an organization committed to advancing safety in the National Airspace System through a proactive approach that focuses on identifying risk and implementing cost-effective mitigation strategies before cyber-attacks occur. "Astronautics is an expert in air-ground communications and connectivity for aircraft,"explained David Jones, Astronautics' manager of avionics security assurance. "Ourcybersecurity team will use this air-ground communications expertise to conduct in-depth studies in order to find risks and propose actions to address them." "Astronautics has been at the forefront of cybersecurity research and knows the importanceof security for our customers. We are committed to continuing to work with the FAA to begin apractical phase for using the developed cybersecurity risk assessment methodology," saidAstronautics President Chad Cundiff. 2 FAA Cybersecurity ContractDuring Phase 1 of the ASISP program, Astronautics established one methodology thatidentified and categorized potential aircraft security risks to critical avionics systems; thenidentified and evaluated mitigation alternatives for these risks. In the beginning of Phase 2,Astronautics—working with industry colleagues—ran security risk assessments (SRA) todetermine the effectiveness of the methodology and refine the methodology as necessary. # # # About AstronauticsAstronautics Corporation of America, headquartered in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, is aglobal leader in the design, development, and manufacture of secure avionics equipment andsystems for the commercial and military aerospace industry. Key product areas includeelectronic primary flight and engine displays, connected aircraft and cyber solutions, electronicflight bags, and certified servers for airborne applications. Services include avionics systemintegration and custom software for critical applications. Since its founding in 1959, Astronauticshas been providing trusted, reliable, and tailored solutions to help clients achieve missionsuccess. Astronautics is the parent company of Kearfott Corporation, headquartered inWoodland Park, New Jersey. For more: www.astronautics.com.