ATC-NY INC — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: A3

Description

<p>Modern aircraft systems have slowly evolved towards integrated modular computing architectures that are linked to multiple external networks. These developments have introduced cyber-attack vulnerabilities which did not exist in older-generation avionics systems.&nbsp; To counter the emerging threats and increased vulnerabilities, an ability to comprehensively and systematically assess aviation cybersecurity risks is needed.&nbsp; Tools are needed to support the design of new aircraft systems as well as tools that can support routine inspections on an airframe-by-airframe basis. ATC-NY proposes SilverlineAN, an assessment management platform for aviation system-level cybersecurity.&nbsp; SilverlineAN provides a principled, machine-readable record of both manual and automated cybersecurity risk assessment procedures and results for individual components/subsystems, computes system-level metrics, and facilitates re-evaluation throughout the system&rsquo;s lifecycle. SilverlineAN aggregates individual component/subsystem results into a larger attack model, which can be used to assess system-level risk. The SilverlineAN tool can serve both as development tool and in a maintenance capacity. For example, during the development of a new avionics component under a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), the developing organization could test the the component for cyber-vulnerabilities using the SilverlineAN tool.&nbsp; In a maintenance capacity, an AMT (Aviation Maintenance Technician) might use SilverlineAN to verify that an avionics installation or update on a particular airframe has not introduced any cyber-vulnerabilities.</p>