Maritime Cyber Security in 2021: All You Need to Know

As the new year begins, the maritime industry is growing at a scale never seen before. It makes up a large part of the global economy. It is more urgent than ever to find the right best practices. They help build economies of scale and run efficient business models.

On the water, this may have led to bigger and bigger vessels on our oceans. More interesting is the digital side. There, we have seen a move toward the best use of information technology. We have also seen better integration of digital solutions. 

What does this mean for the age of innovation on all fronts? Each solution has a cost. For digital solutions, the cost is the need to set up proper cyber-security integrations.

Digital means data, real-time information, and commercial and production systems. This kind of data can be very open to cyber threats. This blog helps you see how ready you are. It looks at the current needs of running a cyber business in the maritime industry. It also shows how you can add better maritime industrial controls for cyber protection. 

The Current Situation in Maritime Cyber Risk

Data from the International Maritime Organization shows maritime cyber risk as a serious threat to a company's technology assets. It can hamper naval operations, safety, and security functions, and the work of keeping information intact. Any data that is lost, corrupted, or compromised may cause severe privacy violations and cut operational efficiency. 

We are entering an era where information security and keeping data safe are more important than ever. The Internet of Things, known as IoT, has proven somewhat weak here. It falls short in giving complex software companies strong cybersecurity solutions. Even at world-famous companies such as Twitter and Intel, cases of leaked information shocked the world.

This has been a key issue for the maritime industry too. For instance, here are the four largest shipping companies, all hit by cyber attacks in recent years: 

• APM-Maersk suffered Ransomware Attack in 2017
• COSCO targeted by a ransomware attack in 2018
• Mediterranean Shipping Company hit by malware in 2020
• CMA CGM hit by a ransomware attack in 2020 

To fight such cybersecurity issues, you need full solutions. They identify, analyze, assess, and communicate possible cyber risks. They also avoid or reduce the risk while tracking the costs and benefits of those actions. 

Why is CyberSecurity So Important? 

To keep vessels, crew, cargo, and ports safe, you must put cybersecurity best practices in place. Maritime cybersecurity covers IT systems, hardware, and sensors on board the ship, and all data about maritime operations.

A breach could mean a violation of data protection, unauthorized access to systems, or tampering with operations. Data integrity can also be harmed by data transfer issues, hardware problems, and loss or tampering of sensor data. 

Over 90% of the world trade moves through the maritime industry. That makes it a tempting target for cyber attacks. That is why the European Union gave the Network and Informations Systems Directive two tasks. One is to help the sector against cyber threats. The other is to build a strong infrastructure. 

This task brings some challenges, especially for the operational technologies onboard ships. Their link to the Internet invites more cyber attacks. What makes the maritime industry unique in this landscape: 

• The maritime industry runs in real time, so timely changes are critically important.
• Human-machine interactions should be monitored, not disrupted. Keep in mind the many protocols and operating systems, each with different security features. 
• It is key to keep practices safe and to tolerate minor faults, so downtime stays low.
• Reliability and constant availability are vital, as these systems may have long lifecycles and need updates. 

Cyber Security Solutions and Best Practices

New cybersecurity frameworks show why solid operational resilience to cyber attacks matters. They point to these best practices: 

• Regularly identify threat environments for outside and inside cyber risks in maritime operations.
• Spot ongoing weak points by building complete onboarding systems 
• Monitor risk exposure by studying the results of a possible exploit
• Put effective detection and protection measures in place to cut all weak points and lower risk exposure.
• Develop contingency plans that will reduce the effect of a possible cyber attack
• Prioritize operational continuity to respond and recover from cyber-attacks quickly.

Industry leaders favor fast, efficient precautions against cyber incidents, and fast recovery from them. This lets maritime companies protect their systems and operational environments at all times. For this, real-time cybersecurity measures and solutions may be vital.

Did you know that solutions like Navatom give strong maritime cybersecurity protection and services? Learn how Navatom keeps a low network footprint by working well with standard bandwidth communication systems. It also sets up security checks for data protection. And it keeps a cumulative backup system to recover data at all times. Check out Navatom's cyber-security and trust section for more information.