Aviation experts yesterday raised alarm over the lack of awareness on an emerging security area in aviation and cyber security, which they noted posed a big threat to the sector.
Speaking at the 2016 fourth quarter breakfast meeting organised by Aviation Round Table (ART), Ifeanyi Ogochukwu, an expert in the sector who delivered a speech on: Cyber Security & Hacking of Civil Aviation System by Terrorists, said this was a new area where terrorists were exploring, but said Nigeria was not even planning to do anything to counter threats posed by it.
Ogochukwu said aviation, which “used to be closed has changed because airlines, passengers and agencies alike now use technologies because they want to maximise their time,” adding that “even today, anybody can use drone to attack any airport with the technology advancing.”
Terrorists are even now well advanced in technology than we expect, he said, saying with the way new aircraft are highly technology based, “any passenger can connect to the cockpit from the cabin using advanced technology.
“Unfortunately, two months ago was cyber security month but nothing was said about it in Nigeria’s aviation, no agency at the airport is actually talking about cyber security.
“It is an emerging threat, a major threat and risk to aviation sector and I wonder if our Aeronautical Information Services is cyber security protected because there are insider threats. Cyber security threat is real, it is not a question of if it exists, and it is a question of when will it happen.”
There is immediate need to establish a separate agency that takes care of cyber security, he said, adding that an intervention team should also be put in place.
Also speaking, John Ojikutu, managing director of Centurion Security and secretary general of ART, blamed NCAA for porosity in security at airports, adding that the authority and airlines should immediately review their security programmes and plans in a bid to stem the tide, especially stowaway incidents.
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