Posted: August 31st, 2022

Cyber Security in the Maritime Industry

Cyber Security in the Maritime Industry
Like most industries and other means of transport, the maritime industry continues to evolve towards digital technology. Although still in infancy, the maritime sector has, in the last couple of years, advanced significantly. Operations have become increasingly automated, and more activities are now operated remotely. While the new expertise has, in many ways facilitated work, it has also opened doors to new risks and made the industry more vulnerable to cyberattacks. Cyber security has become a critical issue, with more maritime companies seeking and investing in different infrastructure to help protect their systems and platforms from attacks.
Cyber security threats continue to increase in reach and proximity in the maritime sector. Major risks and vulnerabilities faced by companies belonging to the maritime industries include inadequate security settings which involve the ineffective management of the network system allowing unauthorized users to access the systems, exposure to networks that lack proper protection measures, obsolete operating systems including software and malware protection programs, and the exposure to other global navigation systems common in satellite communication antennas and other wire communication systems used by these companies.
There are various popular incidents of cyber security attacks and many others that remain undocumented. A good example is the Port of Antwerp, where a drug smuggling gang hired hackers who successfully gained access to the digital tracking system allowing the smugglers to locate and retrieve large amounts of drugs ahead of the scheduled time. This happened several times, but fortunately, authorities detected the issue and shut down the smugglers in time.
Another successful breaching incident is the hacking of a drilling rig. A hacker was able to access and delete all database of cargo and all crucial information relating to the origin, content, and location of the container, halting all the operations. All these consequences could have been more damaging. Even then, ship owners have not yet prioritized the issue of cybersecurity.
Approximately 17 million cyberattacks occur every week all over the world. In 2018 alone, cybercrime was estimated to cost at least $600 billion globally. Evidently, the risks that cyberattacks pose to the maritime sector should not be undermined. The issue of cybersecurity calls for an active approach from all players in the shipping sector. This involves creating awareness of the cyber-attack problem in the maritime industry, coming up with preventive measures such as the implementation of proper IT policies, frequent software updates, regular data backup, and developing effective ways to detect and address cases of cyber-attacks.

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