Secure Data Transmission Increases Air Traffic Management Safety

Security is a top priority in the aeronautical industry. Air Traffic Management (ATM)—which encompasses all systems and actions for managing aircraft on the ground and in the air—plays a key role in ensuring safe operations. ATM systems must function reliably in harsh outdoor conditions and remote locations, requiring secure and accurate data collection and monitoring across all operation phases.

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To meet these demands, ATM devices and components must:

• Feature industrial-grade, rugged designs for reliable performance in extreme environments and over long distances.
• Provide robust network security to protect against cyber threats. Since traditional OT protocols like Modbus lack security features, regulations often mandate IT protocols for Internet-facing data in critical areas like airports. Modern IT protocols prioritize data encryption to defend against eavesdropping and attacks. SNMP, widely used in IT, supports both polling-based and alarm-based communication (via Trap and Inform), making it a popular choice for airport monitoring systems.

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System Requirements

• Support data collection and monitoring from various airport systems (e.g., runway lights, tower lights, navigation aids) with active data transmission to the ATM server for rapid response to critical events.
• Ensure reliable operation in extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, for global airport deployment.
• Use SNMPv3 with Trap support for secure authentication and real-time alerts, and implement data encryption to protect sensitive information during transmission.

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Moxa Solution

A remote I/O system deployed at an airport can be used to acquire serial, digital, and analog data from runway lights, tower lights, and navigation aids, and then transmitted in real time to the control center. In addition, products that feature advanced remote I/O features and wide temperature operation are rugged enough to work 24/7 in all kinds of weather and harsh conditions to provide the non-stop operation demanded by airport operation codes.

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SNMPv3 and SNMPv3 Trap are required. Since SNMP is a polling-based protocol, the control center can poll remote I/O status periodically via SNMP to make sure that all monitoring data is up-to-date. In addition, SNMP Trap can update data from remote sites to the control center actively. The user can set the threshold for the monitoring data and receive alarms immediately when preconfigured conditions are met. SNMP and SNMP Trap help ensure that status reports from airport facilities is always up-to-date and all emergencies can be handled promptly and properly.

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With respect to security, SNMPv3 and SNMPv3 Trap support authentication and data encryption, making version 3 the most secure of all SNMP versions. The most popular encryption algorithm used by SNMP is MD5. However, since MD5’s security weaknesses can be exploited by hackers, cybersecurity experts suggest using a more secure algorithm, like SHA2, to protect sensitive information. Moxa’s modular remote I/O products support the SHA224 and SHA256 encryption algorithms, both of which belong to the SHA2 family.

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Why Moxa

• Advanced modular remote I/O with SNMPv3 and Trap support for secure, real-time data transmission
• Supports SHA224 and SHA256 encryption to minimize data leakage risk
• Flexible interface and protocol options for easy system expansion
• Wide-temperature models operate reliably from -40 to 75°C