Customer Background
Taoyuan International Airport is one of Taiwan’s key international airports and a crucial aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region. As air travel demand continues to rise, its baggage sorting system has become vital for efficiently processing tens of thousands of bags and ensuring timely delivery to the correct flights. Given the scale of its operations, the airport requires a stable and secure system to mitigate cybersecurity threats and safeguard sensitive passenger information, preventing privacy breaches and potential national security risks. The baggage sorting system relies on automated equipment and industrial control systems (ICS), making their security essential for maintaining operational stability. To address these challenges, Taoyuan Airport is enhancing its cybersecurity measures to effectively counter external threats and protect its internal systems.
The baggage sorting system is crucial for flight operations. A malware or ransomware attack could incapacitate the system, leading to improper baggage handling, flight delays, and negative impacts on customer service and passenger experience. Such outages can result in passenger dissatisfaction, damage the airport’s reputation, and create potential legal liabilities and significant financial losses. The system also handles large volumes of sensitive passenger and flight data. A breach could lead to serious privacy violations and expose personal information to exploitation, posing national security risks and threatening transportation safety. Additionally, the sorting system relies on automated equipment controlled by industrial control systems (ICS). If targeted by hackers, this equipment could be manipulated, causing incorrect sorting, equipment damage, or complete shutdowns, disrupting airport operations and increasing maintenance and operational costs, further worsening economic losses and inefficiencies.
The security issues related to the baggage sorting system involve not only technical challenges but also operational stability, customer service, data privacy, and national security. To mitigate potential cybersecurity risks, the airport must strengthen network defenses, enhance protection for industrial control systems, and implement strict data protection and monitoring measures to ensure the reliable and secure operation of the baggage sorting system.
(1) Tera-UTM 12 deployed at the gateway：he baggage sorting station has implemented Tera-UTM 12 at the gateway to filter internet traffic, particularly VPN connections. This device protects the VPN router by blocking viruses and malware, ensuring stable operation of the baggage sorting system and reducing disruption risks.
(2) Dual Ark-UTM 16 enhances internal network protection：Dual Ark-UTM 16 has been deployed within the internal network to strengthen defenses. It monitors internal traffic and intercepts potential threats, preventing the spread of internal risks and safeguarding against external attacks.
These cybersecurity measures effectively counter external threats and mitigate internal risks, ensuring the safe and stable operation of the baggage sorting system and other critical systems, which in turn supports normal flight operations and seamless passenger service.
