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National
Increased Security
for Passengers –
including online
Nicolas Hunloh, Team Leader Internet,
Düsseldorf International Airport
The air transport hub of Flughafen Düsseldorf handles over
20 million passengers per year, making it the largest airport
in North Rhine-Westphalia. 70 airlines operate here, serving
more than 190 destinations. Located in one of Europe’s
strongest-performing economic regions, with 18 million
people living within a radius of 100 kilometres, Düsseldorf
International plays a key role in fulfilling the mobility needs of
private individuals and businesses in the federal state of North
Rhine-Westphalia and the south-east of the Netherlands.
Furthermore, as the largest single employer in Düsseldorf
with a workforce of around 19,700, the airport has a major
impact on the jobs market in NRW.
As traffic has increased over recent years, the corporate
website has had to adapt and grow to meet the demands
of passengers as well as
those who are picking
them up from the airport
and other target groups.
These users visit the site to
check flight times,
to find out about
local conditions,
to reserve parking
spaces, to retrieve
general information
about the airport,
and much more
besides. The website
is thus a main
point of contact for
By undertaking regular
security checks, including
around 11 million
its online platforms,
users per year.
Düsseldorf airport
upholds consistently high
security standards.
Various extranets
provide B2B partners
and customers
with helpful
tools. Data that is
stored there requires
secure protection.
Flughafen
Düsseldorf GmbH
therefore took the
decision in 2012
to submit its main
corporate website
as well as those
of its subsidiaries
to an extensive security check. Their
search for a professional, flexible and
reliable service provider quickly brought
them to secunet.
For the operator, it is particularly important
that the standards which are
rigorously adhered to in the everyday
working environment of the airport’s offline sector (where
security is at a premium) apply equally to its website. Because
even data on passengers and partners requires the protection
of a highly secure and efficient infrastructure against
externally launched attempts to gain unauthorised access.
The secunet team therefore set about identifying potential
vulnerabilities using a detailed penetration test and applying
recognised standards with particular reference to OWASP
Top 10 2012. In order to avoid overloading the server infrastructure
during the procedure, the tests were conducted
during the low-traffic period between 11pm and 6am.
08 » 1 | 2013