Securing Flight Paths: Navigating the Top 3 Cybersecurity Challenges in Aviation

Ensuring safety has long been a top priority in the fast-paced world of aviation, but those in the industry know that these days, that responsibility extends far beyond the tarmac. 

Aviation is an interconnected industry that collectively manages a wealth of sensitive data, which unfortunately makes the industry an attractive target for cyberattacks. Cybersecurity is mission-critical across the ecosystem, and safeguarding the industry is increasingly recognized as a matter of national security. SITA, a company founded in 1949 by 11 pioneering airlines to provide shared IT and telecommunications services to the air transport industry, found that 77% of North American airlines rank cybersecurity among their top three IT-resource priorities. However, spending alone isn’t a strategy. Securing the skies requires a smart approach, one grounded in trust, identity, and resilience.

Here are the top three cybersecurity challenges we see facing aviation today—and how identity-first solutions can help solve them.

Securing Third-Party Vendor Ecosystems – Aviation’s Biggest Vulnerability

Aviation runs on a vast web of interconnected vendors, spanning from flight planning tools to maintenance systems to ground services. That ecosystem creates operational efficiency…and potentially deep exposure. Every third-party touchpoint is a potential entryway for cyber threats, which explains why all North American airlines rank securing third-party vendors as their top cybersecurity challenge (SITA), a rare consensus that underscores the urgency of the issue.

When something goes wrong, the fallout is immediate and far-reaching. This weak spot became painfully clear in late 2024 when a botched software update from a third-party security vendor triggered widespread system outages for many major airlines, grounding thousands of flights and forcing operational changes. While it wasn't a cybersecurity attack, the incident laid bare just how fragile airline operations can be when vendor access isn't tightly controlled.

To strengthen this perimeter-less reality, airlines are shifting to platforms that verify, and limit vendor access based on real-time context. The first critical step is identity proofing, which occurs during the initial onboarding of the third-party to ensure the root of trust in the created credential (a.k.a. identity).

Recent high-profile cases, where threat actors (e.g., North Korean spies) joined companies without proper identity proofing, underscore the risks of inadequate onboarding. The emerging use of Deepfakes makes the need for identity proofing even more essential. 

Once identity proofing is complete, continuous reauthentication is key. Every vendor, system integrator, or contractor must be authenticated not just once, but every time they request access, a process known as identity verification. This is paired with least-privilege access policies, which limit vendor permissions strictly to what’s necessary for the task at hand, reducing the proverbial “blast radius” of any compromise. 

These measures can be further strengthened by real-time monitoring and threat detection, enabling security teams to spot unusual behaviors across the vendor ecosystem and respond before an issue escalates. With these controls in place, even the most complex third-party accessible environments can become manageable and far more secure.

Rapid Evolving Threat Landscape – When Attackers Outpace Defenders

Ransomware attacks on aviation and other industries are on the rise, and tactics like insider credential abuse or adaptive phishing campaigns are constantly emerging. A stark example is the 2023 MGM breach, where attackers impersonated an employee and tricked the IT Help Desk into handing over sign-in credentials. Like many other high-profile breaches in recent years, this attack succeeded because of our ongoing reliance on outdated authentication methods, such as passwords and SMS one-time passcodes, that are easily phished, shared, or reused.

Traditional perimeter defenses and static credentials are simply too rigid for today’s dynamic threat environment. That’s why many forward-thinking companies embrace an identity-first approach to cybersecurity. This means making identity verification the foundation of security. In practice, this shifts the question from ‘Is the network safe?’ to ‘Who is this user, and should they have access right now?’”

Just-in-Time (JIT) step-up authentication plays a pivotal role here. Genuine users typically get fast, easy access to the data or less risky processes they need, while higher-risk actions automatically require escalating verification challenges. An example might be if a crew member logs in from a new device or attempts to access or modify sensitive data; the system might prompt a biometric check or a live document verification. By adapting in real time, security systems can escalate checks only when needed, preserving a low-friction user experience while staying ahead of attackers. Layered with contextual signals like device trust, physical location and usage behavior, an adaptive, identity-first approach can prove far more agile and effective than legacy defenses.

Integrating Legacy Systems with Modern Security Requirements – Old Infrastructure, New Risk

Despite rapid innovation in customer-facing technology, much of aviation’s back end still runs on aging infrastructure. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates more than 100 systems deemed outdated or unsustainable[1] and many airlines are tethered to decades-old architecture that can’t keep up with modern threats.

Modernization doesn’t have to mean ripping everything out. Instead, aviation leaders are layering modern identity proofing and verification workflows onto legacy systems through identity orchestration platforms. These solutions integrate tools like document verification, biometric authentication, and federated identity, without requiring a ground-up rebuild. They allow systems to scale identity security based on real-time risk, enabling safer, smarter access without interfering with operations. This kind of non-invasive upgrade is the most practical path forward for an industry balancing innovation with security.

The Strategic Advantage: Identity as Aviation’s True Perimeter

In what’s been called the “biggest shake-up of global aviation in 50 years,” the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) plans to eliminate the often clumsy traditional boarding passes and check-in procedure over the next 2-3 years in favor of a digital travel credential. We know this overhaul keeps aviation technology and security practitioners awake at night. With the shift, identity security will become even more foundational to how passengers move through the airport experience. 

Bringing together the three top challenges covered in this article, third-party risk, adaptive threats, and outdated systems, identity stands out as the most effective lever to effectuate meaningful change. Identity is the key to establishing digital trust, to controlling access, and to ensuring security standard compliance in real time. 

Airlines that lead in identity security will be better positioned to win and keep passenger trust, streamline operations, and embrace future innovations. In an industry where speed and trust are everything, identity ensures you don’t have to choose between them.