It is a fact that technology is
coming up with great innovations, which are transforming different fields. Air
traffic is increasing with the passage of time, so new technological
advancements are needed to handle matters related to air traffic. One such new
technology is Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), which is a
surveillance system. ADS-B is a system, which not only has situational
awareness, but it also provides information regarding the aircraft’s location
automatically. The system is certainly a great one to be implemented until
2020, but there is one big problem associated with this system, which is the
lack of any security system. The default ADS-B system does not have any
security protocols, which means that all the information carried through ADS-B is
vulnerable (Strohmeier, Schäfer, Lenders, & Martinovic, 2014)
It is important for the ADS-B
system to have some security features so that data and information are not
vulnerable, and it is reached to the ground with correct stats, otherwise,
consequences can be severe. There can be various solutions to deal with this
problem, and this problem must be resolved to make it effective, otherwise, its
implantation has no real benefits as intended. One possible solution could be
the use of cryptography in the current ADS-B system as it can help to make its
security better with the help of a digital signature algorithm. Such an
algorithm can help to make its security better in so many ways (Wesson, Humphreys, & Evans, 2014)
If the cryptographic method does
not work, then the ADS-B system will have to explore more methods, which can be
used to integrate some security measures into it. There are various methods
being explored to make data more secure having sensitive information about
aircraft and their locations. Otherwise, anyone can buy a relevant receiver to
get the data from the ADS-B system. One solution has been proposed by Richard
Agbeyibor, who was the Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. He came up with
a method named “format-preserving encryption”, which can be used to secure the
transmission of large data packets, and these data packets will not face any
threat or interference from outside (Ramsdell, 2014)
References of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and
its Challenges
Ramsdell, K. W. (2014). Few Answers for ADS-B
Security Concerns. Retrieved November 14, 2019, from https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-02-14/few-answers-ads-b-security-concerns
Strohmeier, M., Schäfer, M., Lenders, V., & Martinovic, I. (2014).
Realities and challenges of nextgen air traffic management: The case of
ADS-B. IEEE Communications Magazine , 52 (5), 111-118.
Wesson, K. D., Humphreys, T. E., & Evans, B. L. (2014). Can
Cryptography Secure Next Generation Air Traffic Surveillance? IEEE
SECURITY & PRIVACY , X (X).