CAAB steps up airport cybersecurity measures

The Civil Aviation Threat and Risk Assessment Committee (CATRAC) has stepped up efforts to strengthen security in the civil aviation sector of Bangladesh amid growing threats, including terrorism, cyberattacks, insider threats, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and drone attacks.

The committee held its second meeting at the headquarters of the Bangladesh Civil Aviation Authority (CAAB) in Dhaka on Thursday, with representatives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, CAAB, Air Intelligence Unit of the Bangladesh Air Force, Armed Police Battalion, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, National Security Intelligence, Directorate General of Forces Intelligence and Special Branch of Bangladesh Police in attendance.

CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmood Siddiq chaired the meeting.

In his welcome address, the CAAB chairman stressed the need for stronger coordination and timely intelligence sharing among relevant agencies to address emerging security risks in the aviation sector.

He said CATRAC was playing an important role in conducting regular security risk assessments in line with ICAO Annex 17. The committee has already finalised the Civil Aviation Risk Context Statement (CARCS) and specified procedures for intelligence sharing.

The measures will also be important for Bangladesh’s upcoming ICAO Universal Security Audit Programme-Continuous Monitoring Approach (USAP-CMA) audit, he said.

The meeting reviewed progress in implementing decisions taken at the committee’s first meeting and discussed existing and emerging security threats, with particular focus on strengthening cybersecurity at airports.
CAAB officials highlighted measures taken to address phishing, password theft, unauthorised access and the theft of passenger and flight-related information.

The meeting was informed that cybersecurity provisions had been incorporated into the National Civil Aviation Security Programme (NCASP) and Aviation Security Training Programme (ATSP), while initiatives were under way to issue Civil Aviation Cybersecurity Directives.

CAAB has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bangladesh Computer Council’s e-Government Computer Incident Response Team (e-Gov CIRT) to conduct cybersecurity audits.

The country’s airports have been declared Critical Information Infrastructure (CII), with CAAB receiving regular guidance from the National Cybersecurity Agency.

The committee also directed intelligence agencies to prepare a Higher-Risk Designation List (HRDL) to determine the need for aircraft searches based on assessed risks.

Members discussed measures to address changing security threats, improve intelligence exchange, strengthen risk management and enhance coordination among agencies.

CAAB Member (Security) Air Commodore Md Asif Iqbal said effective risk assessment, timely information sharing and coordinated action among relevant agencies would be crucial for successfully addressing the upcoming ICAO security audit.

The next CATRAC meeting is tentatively scheduled for the first week of February 2027.