Danger on the net Aviation and logistics industry increasingly threatened by cyber attacks

The aviation and logistics industry, as one of the central pillars of the global economy, is facing increasing challenges from cyber threats, notes the Aircargo Club Germany.

According to Aircargo Club Deutschland (ACD), hacking attacks, data leaks, and ransomware pose serious threats to the smooth flow and security of global goods traffic. The threatened companies should therefore quickly take appropriate security measures to protect themselves from cybercriminal access. How easily hackers can gain access to sensitive data and what measures are suitable for protection were explained by Silvana Bruno, Managing Director and Head of Cybersecurity at Networker, Solutions GmbH, at an ACD event.

Pure cyber attacks cost the economy almost 150 billion euros

According to a survey conducted by the digital association Bitkom, the German economy suffers an annual damage of 206 billion euros due to the theft of IT equipment and data. Both digital and analog industrial espionage as well as sabotage are included, it is said. In 2023, 148 billion euros (72 percent) of this were pure cyber attacks. In 2021, the share was "only" 59 percent. According to experts, companies must protect themselves against a variety of sophisticated cyber attacks. The spectrum of threats includes malware (viruses, trojans, spyware, and ransomware) that can steal, damage, or encrypt sensitive data. Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, in turn, aim to overload company servers with data requests in order to paralyze operations. Then there are supply chain attacks, which attempt to infiltrate third-party systems to access company data. The consequences of cyber attacks can be very severe. According to Bruno, this ranges from operational disruptions to financial losses, reputational and image damage, and even the theft of sensitive data.

SMEs often cannot afford the expense for maximum security

According to Bitkom, almost every second company (48 percent) fears that a successful cyber attack could threaten its own existence. Size or industry often do not play a role in the general risk of falling victim to malware and cyber attacks. However, the complexity and amount of possible threats and measures often exceed the capabilities of small and medium-sized businesses to undertake maximum security efforts, it is said. Bruno states: "Freight and logistics companies in particular manage a lot of critical data about shipments, such as recipients, senders, or tracking data, so their systems are always at risk." In the world of cybersecurity, too, the existing chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Because logistics companies are often connected to many smaller companies around the world that do not have the means to build a good cybersecurity infrastructure, there is a constant risk of an attack.