SATIE Project Improves Cybersecurity of Baggage Handling Systems

The European project SATIE (Security of Air Transport Infrastructure of Europe) has come to an end, after more than two years of work that led to the development of the «SATIE Toolkit», a platform that brings together several innovative solutions for airport security. This large-scale project united a consortium of 18 partners from 10 European countries with a common goal: improving the prevention and detection of cyber-physical attacks at airports.

Among the work carried out, one scenario focused on securing the baggage handling system. ‘‘Today, it’s no longer a question of ‘if’, it’s a matter of ‘when’ a cyber-attack will occur. It is therefore essential to know how to detect cyber threats, so that SOCs (Security Operation Centers) can be alerted and act quickly’’ explains Eric HERVÉ, Alstef Group’s CISO.

Alstef Group provided SATIE with a digital twin of the baggage handling system of Zagreb Airport, Croatia, in order to create simulations of cyber-attacks and to allow the research and technological organization INOV (Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores Inovação) to develop prevention and detection tools. ‘‘The creation of this digital twin has allowed us to significantly improve our risk management through dynamic and detailed risk assessment. We have been able to validate the procedures to follow in case of an attack, in order to increase our reactivity’’ says Sven Hrastnik, Zagreb Airport’s Head of Hardware Support.

The proposed solution was then operationally demonstrated at Zagreb Airport, including some of the most common attacks such as a ransomware attack or a DDOS attack. The results were conclusive, as all attacks were detected, both in the simulation tests and in the demonstration. This new technology, rated TLR >=7 (Technology Readiness Level), offers a faster and more efficient detection of cyber-physical threats, facilitating the supervision of installations within SOCs.

The SATIE project and the creation of the SATIE Toolkit have led to innovative advances in securing critical airport infrastructures. These solutions offer pioneering opportunities, from threat prevention and detection to incident response within baggage handling systems.

‘‘We are very pleased with the co-construction and success of the SATIE project. Together, we were able to design and test effective tools to enable interoperability between existing systems and new enhanced security solutions. By working closely with Zagreb Airport, we were able to understand the operational needs for securing the OT. We can now pass this expertise on to our airport and intralogistics customers and provide the assurance of our thoroughly tested and proven cybersecurity solutions.’’ Eric HERVÉ, Alstef Group’s CISO.