Munich Airport has officially opened its Information Security Hub (ISH), as part of a new chapter to improve its IT security activities.
The centre, which is equipped with training rooms, IT labs, a control room and an amphitheatre for presentations and briefings has been established in the airport’s former airmail control centre, near the cargo terminal. It will provide a facility for IT specialists from the airport operating company (FMG) to work alongside experts from the European aviation industry to develop strategies to defend against cyberattacks and cybercrime.
Bavaria’s gateway to the world and one of Europe’s busiest airports, Munich is well served by both regional and low-fare carriers, as well as mainline airlines, so is ideally placed to operate as a base in the fight against cybercrime within the aviation sector.
“As an airport operating company, we are responsible for the functionality of critical infrastructure and must take up on the fight every day to ensure protection against cyberattacks,” said Thomas Weyer, the CFO and director of infrastructure at FMG.
“Attacks on IT systems around the world have taken on new dimensions in terms of quality and quantity in recent years. New viruses, worms and malware are constantly being developed and turned loose on potential vulnerabilities in our IT systems. The further we move ahead with digitalisation, and the more functions are performed and networked by computers, the more potential points of attack they will present to global cybercriminals – and the more serious potential consequences of targeted attacks will become,” Weyer continued.
There has been a massive increase in the number of attacks on the IT systems of companies and public authorities in Germany, thanks to the spread of digitalisation in recent years. So, while the work of the ISH will focus on IT security at the airport, other organisations from different sectors will also be encouraged to make use of the facilities and services at the centre.
