Cybersecurity – One of the Greatest Challenges for Civil Aviation in the 21st Century

In every aspect of aviation’s operations, from ground handling, aircraft designing and production, ensuring the continuity of flights, technical service, to air carriers, there is a possibility that cybercrime may occur. Ubiquitous computers, telephones, and internet carry the risk of various types of threats – from simple viruses, to personal data theft, to taking over of an aircraft by cybercriminals. The aim of the paper is to describe the main cyberthreats in the area of civil aviation. The theoretical analysis of the available source materials and empirical usage of security procedures in aviation organizations served as the main research methods that have been utilized in the analysis of the cybersecurity problem. The author’s extensive professional experience in the aviation sector, especially in the field of quality and security, provided the possibility to verify and understand these vital problems for the aviation industry.