Machine to machine communication over wireless networks is increasingly adopted to improve service and maintenance processes in transportation, e.g. at airports, ports, and automotive service stations. This brings with it the challenge of how to set up a session key so that the communication can be cryptographically secured. While there is a vast design space of key establishment methods available, there is a lack of process of how to engineer a solution while considering both security and safety: how to assess the threats and risks that come with a particular key establishment method? And how to iteratively refine a key establishment method under development such that risk is mitigated to an acceptable level? In this paper, we put forward an approach that addresses these questions. We also devise several cyber-physical measures that can be added to mitigate risk. We illustrate our approach by means of a real-world use case: TAGA - a Touch and Go Assistant in the Aerospace Domain. Finally, we highlight the crucial role that simulation has to play in this security process for safety.

In this short paper we explore if and how we can securely pair up two machines for secure machine-to-machine communication by means of an NFC system subject to two conditions: firstly, the machine pairing method must be truly local in that we cannot rely on long-term secrets or a public-key infrastructure; secondly, the machine pairing method must be verifiable and certifiable to a high assurance level. We address this question motivated by a demand for this in the aerospace domain, where there is currently a drive to introduce machine-to-machine communication over wireless networks to improve ground processes such as refuelling and air conditioning. In this paper we present preliminary results towards a positive answer to this question.