Aviation organizations lost an average of $1.4 million to cybersecurity breaches over the past 12 months, according to research from cybersecurity company Bridewell.

The survey, commissioned by Bridewell, gathered responses from 250 cybersecurity professionals working within the aviation industry. Phishing was identified as the most prominent type of cyberattack, with 90% of respondents reporting they had experienced a phishing attack during the past year.

Malware, credential theft and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks were also among the most common threats, with 88% of respondents reporting at least one incident involving these attack types during the same period.

The financial impact of cyberattacks was significant. More than 40% (41.2%) of respondents reported losses between $500,000 and $999,999 while 30.8% reported losses between $1 million and $4.9 million.

The findings come as aviation organizations face increasing cybersecurity pressures tied to interconnected technologies and third-party relationships. Sixty percent of respondents said they are extremely concerned about cyber threats targeting airport operational infrastructure and supply chain partners.

The research also points to increased cybersecurity spending across the industry. More than three-quarters of respondents reported that their cybersecurity budgets had increased during the current fiscal year. Nearly 45% (44.8%) said their budgets increased between 1% and 10% in the past fiscal year.

Despite increased spending, organizations reported challenges hiring cybersecurity professionals with relevant skills. Forty percent identified hiring experts in artificial intelligence and machine learning security as their top challenge while 39.6% reported difficulties finding professionals with aviation-specific regulatory expertise.

Kelechi Onyedebelu, Director Security Solutions Presales at Bridewell US, said the aviation industry has become fundamentally dependent on interconnected digital systems.

“Airlines, airports, manufacturers, and suppliers now all operate on interconnected technologies, so cyber resilience cannot be achieved by individual organizations working in isolation,” Onyedebelu said.

Bridewell commissioned the research to gather firsthand perspectives from cybersecurity professionals in aviation regarding their experiences, investments and changing priorities, according to Onyedebelu.

“What we’re seeing is that the aviation industry is under sustained pressure and experiencing significant financial losses as a result,” Onyedebelu said. “At the same time, organizations are also having to balance immediate threats with longer-term concerns around skills shortages, changing regulations, and emerging technologies.”

Onyedebelu added that artificial intelligence, automation and increasingly connected infrastructure are continuing to reshape aviation, making an understanding of the industry's cyber maturity essential. Full findings from the report can be found here.