Security Breaches Shake Up Canada’s Friendly Skies

Mayday! Mayday!

A recent cyberattack almost grounded Canada’s aviation giant.

International hackers are gunning for Air Canada. The full extent of the damage has not been disclosed, but it appears that employee data—not customer information or flight operations—was compromised.

Unfortunately, hacks are akin to earthquakes. A successful hack is often followed by a cascading series of aftershocks, and airline industry cybersecurity professionals have a nagging sense that the Big One could happen at any moment.

Though Air Canada reported that it quickly fortified its digital defenses with the help of international cybersecurity experts, the security breach by an anonymous group has ignited industry-wide concerns with respect to the safety of air travel.

On the same day that Air Canada’s employee database was hacked, check-in kiosks, electronic gates, and other Canadian airport services were hit by a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.

Air Canada, the country’s largest airline, with more than 1,300 scheduled daily flights, represents a juicy target for cyberhackers. All airlines do.

According to a report IBM released last July, data breaches in the transportation industry are among the most expensive, with the average cost per incident over $4 million.

Over the last decade, airports and aviation companies have experienced repeated cyberattacks. A recent Airbus hack resulted in the release of information on 3,200 of the company’s vendors on the dark web.

Whether you own a company or are a security leader in charge of protecting your organization and its assets from cyberattacks, here are some basic prophylactic measures you should consider:

Regular Vulnerability Scanning
Frequent scans with specialized tools to find system weaknesses.
Prioritize and address critical vulnerabilities swiftly.
Schedule regular scans for both internal and external assessments.

Penetration Testing
Simulate real-world attacks to evaluate defenses.
Engage professionals or cybersecurity firms for testing.
Define clear testing scopes to avoid disruptions.

Patch Management
Develop a structured process for updates.
Prioritize critical patches and apply promptly.
Monitor vendor advisories and security lists.

Asset Inventory
Maintain a comprehensive list of all assets.
Update inventory as assets change.
Use automated tools for tracking and categorization

Endpoint Security
Deploy advanced security solutions.
Regularly update threat definitions and configurations.
Implement host-based firewalls and IDS.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Protect web apps from common threats.
Customize rules and monitor logs.
Keep the WAF up-to-date and patched.

Network Access Control (NAC)
Control network access based on policies.
Integrate with IAM for consistent controls.
Monitor and audit NAC logs for policy enforcement.

Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS)
Use advanced IDPS with real-time detection.
Keep signatures and rules updated.
Fine-tune policies to reduce false alarms.

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
Centralize event data analysis and correlation.
Configure rules and alerts for anomaly detection.
Review SIEM reports for trends and threats

Incident Response Playbooks
Develop detailed response procedures.
Define roles and responsibilities.
Test and update playbooks regularly

This is a daunting list of urgent action items, but fortunately, help is just a phone call away. Our Cyber Defense Advisors team of veteran CEOs, CISOs, and IT leaders can help guard against a cyber catastrophe at your company by optimizing your technology portfolio and security posture in ways your in-house data security department might easily overlook. Our experienced cloud protection experts can save you money by repurposing budget resources from legacy systems that are redundant, outdated, ineffective or otherwise useless; in order to better help you manage the cyberthreats all American, Canadian and European will inevitably face in the not-too-distant future.

Contact Cyber Defense Advisors today to learn more.