SD Showcases SD Xperience and Cybersecurity Expertise at LABACE
Satcom Direct (SD), the business aviation solutions provider is showcasing its powerful SD Xperience portfolio of products to LABACE delegates for the first time during this year’s show, 13 -15 August. SD Xperience combines SD flight operations software, cabin and cockpit communications services, and aircraft connectivity hardware into one powerful operating system. Existing SD Ka-band, Ku-band and L-band offerings for high-speed data, basic internet, and safety services are also available as part of SD Xperience.
SD Xperience fully integrates the complete range of SD products to deliver a formidable business aviation ecosystem. This includes its SaaS (Software as a Service) platform SD Pro, the integrated flight operations management platform, SD Scheduler which provides centralized management of business aircraft data and flight information to synchronize the aircraft with the flight department, and SD’s cabin networking hardware. This is underpinned by the SD Data Center, which has just completed the second phase of a four-phase expansion plan, and safely stores data for aviation customers. SD Xperience aims to enhance the user experience by providing a single resource for all a customer’s connectivity needs, while simplifying and optimizing flight operations.
“With a strong appetite for efficient connectivity solutions that emulate the on the ground digital experience in the air, the market has so far welcomed the SD Xperience portfolio. It delivers premium solutions purpose-built for each individual customer at prices that meet operating budgets,” said Ewerton Libanio, Managing Director, SD Brazil. “SD Xperience also synchronizes aircraft with flight departments for improved operational efficiency, expands connectivity options for passengers and simplifies the purchasing process. SD Xperience positions us as the only service provider offering infrastructure, hardware, and software with flexible connectivity packages.”
Altitude doesn’t make you safe – attempted cybersecurity attacks on the rise.
Importantly, SD Xperience also incorporates SD’s powerful suite of cybersecurity services, which aims to keep aircraft connectivity secure through all phases of flight. SD notes a year-on-year increase of attempted cybersecurity attacks on business aviation aircraft subscribed to the multi-layered SD Threat Monitoring service. Eighty-one percent of the nearly 600 subscribed aircraft have experienced a cyber event that has been thwarted by the SD service. In addition, the seriousness of the attempted hacks has amplified, with a 54 percent increase in critical and high-level threats from the same period last year. A critical threat represents activity that can affect default installations of widely deployed software resulting in the compromise of servers and devices, as well as leaving the “door open” for other hackers. Trojans, viruses and operating system vulnerabilities all fall into the critical category. A high level represents a threat from web browser exploitation or malware, which can be elevated to a critical status. This type of threat can potentially cause serious long-term damages to corporate networks.
The SD Threat Monitoring module, accessible through the SD Pro dashboard, constantly monitors all inbound and outbound threats from aircraft subscribed to the 24/7 monitoring service. Delivering a real-time, centralized in-flight view of the cabin network, it makes aircraft data activity visible to flight departments and the SD cybersecurity experts. Abnormal network behavior is highlighted using a variety of threat analysis and prevention solutions, as well as human expertise. Potential threats, attacks, and intrusions are blocked before they reach the digital devices or aircraft. If a compromised device is identified in flight, threats can be blocked before they propagate to other passengers or “call home” to the malicious actor. Operating in real-time, the system alerts users, identifies causes, and provides remedial steps. The systems works for all level of threats from low through to critical.
“As the digitization of aviation trend continues, aircraft are becoming operating systems in themselves so mitigating data risk is imperative,” adds Libanio “Regardless of whether you are on the ground or in the air, if you can see the internet, then the internet – and the hackers – are most definitely able to see you. Altitude does not make you safe and we are encouraging existing and new customers to be prepared,” concludes Libanio.
