Cybersecurity in Aviation: 2026
Successful cybersecurity breaches in the aviation industry threaten to cause immediate and wide-scale disruption. Few other industries carry a comparable risk profile.
A single compromised system can threaten public safety and organizational sustainability by grounding fleets, stranding passengers and spreading almost instantly through a connected network of airports, airlines, and handlers.
This potential for damage and disruption attracts a virtually unparalleled range of malicious actors. Financially motivated criminal groups, state-sponsored actors, and hacktivists are just some of those seeking to capitalize on the vast attack surface and data available through a successful breach.
Our 2026 Report Uncovers
- The financial losses experienced because of cyber attacks in the past 12 months
- The most prominent types of attacks experienced
- The primary entry points behind the most significant attacks
- Which aviation-specific assets are considered the highest-risk
- The cyber threats to airport operations seen in the past 12 months
- The AI-enabled threats causing the most concern
- How cybersecurity budgets have changed in the current fiscal year
- The security skills which are hardest to find
- Organization compliance with regulatory requirements
About the Research
We commissioned an international market research company, Censuswide, to conduct research among 250 US cybersecurity professionals working within the aviation industry.
The report covers the current threat landscape and aviation-specific risks, how organizations are adjusting budgets to address these concerns and which skills are most difficult to find. The report also covers how AI is being used and concerns around AI-enabled threats and regulatory compliance.
