The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and Fortress Information Security (Fortress) have initiated an industry-wide collaboration focused on developing an enterprise cybersecurity model and a suite of voluntary standards to address cyber risks specific to uncrewed systems and robotics.
The association notes that industry-wide collaboration among buyers and vendors/suppliers is a proven cybersecurity strategy. Using previous Fortress work that led to the development of voluntary risk-based standards for the utilities industry as a blueprint, AUVSI will spearhead an effort to build consensus, establish standards and facilitate proactive cybersecurity policies and actions among uncrewed systems manufacturers and suppliers.
“Uncrewed vehicles – air, ground and maritime – are relied upon for national defense, public safety, commercial delivery, critical infrastructure inspection and more. These technologies are increasingly part of the economic foundation for nations across the globe,” said Michael Robbins, executive vice president, government and public affairs at AUVSI. “A cyber-secure foundation built on universal industry standards among industry stakeholders and suppliers will help to ensure the economic and operational potential of uncrewed vehicles is reached.”
AUVSI is creating a collaborative industry working group to ensure that the value proposition of this effort is clear to the industry and that the cyber risk mitigation tools make sense. The working group will consist of AUVSI member organizations with subject matter expertise, working together with Fortress to begin the development of the cybersecurity framework.
The partners are working to an aggressive schedule to complete the framework in less than a year. “The proactive development of industry standards makes products and services more secure and builds trust from governments and regulators, propelling innovation to new heights,” added Tobias Whitney, vice president of strategy and policy for Fortress. “We look forward to partnering with AUVSI in a collaborative effort to make the uncrewed vehicle industry – manufacturers, vendors and suppliers – resilient and cyber-secure.”