Date of Award
2-2025
Culminating Project Type
Starred Paper
Styleguide
apa
Degree Name
Information Assurance: M.S.
Department
Information Assurance and Information Systems
College
Herberger School of Business
First Advisor
Mark Schmidt
Second Advisor
Lynn Collen
Third Advisor
Erich Rice
Fourth Advisor
Michael Gorman
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
ads-b, aviation, encryption, tracking, radio transmitters, aircraft
Abstract
While aircraft location tracking offers an enhanced level of comfort and information to the passenger, new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations regarding automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, leave aircraft vulnerable to advanced threats and attacks. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the FAA implemented a new rule mandating all aircraft, commercial and private, to be equipped with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out capabilities while flying and operating in qualified airspace that requires transponders. While large passenger and cargo planes generally were already equipped with this technology, a lot of smaller and private planes had to install technological upgrades to accommodate this new regulation. With advances in transmitter technology, such as software-defined radio (SDR), attacks on aircraft and air traffic control through the vulnerabilities in the ADS-B system pose an increased risk. Possible cybersecurity threats to the ADS-B system and risk mitigation strategies are explored while analyzing the existing encryption of flight tracking technology. Primary and secondary sources are carefully reviewed and specific applications used in aviation such as ForeFlight and its integrated transponder system Sentry are examined to provide an overview and introduction into aircraft location regulations in the United States airspace, as well as the security risks associated with ADS-B technology. Recommendations regarding possible encryption and other risk mitigation measures are presented.
Recommended Citation
Bendgens, Smilla, "Cybersecurity Threats in Aviation: Encryption and Vulnerabilities of Automatic Dependent Surveillance- Broadcast for Aircraft Tracking in Connection with Software-Defined Radio and similar Transmitters to identify possible Risk Mitigation Strategies" (2025). Culminating Projects in Information Assurance. 150.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/msia_etds/150
