New report explains IMO cruise and ferry sector cybersecurity requirement
Written by Marine Log Staff
Inmarsat
Leading global mobile satcom specialist Inmarsat has released a new, free of charge, report covering new International Maritime Organization cybersecurity requirements and their implications for cruise ship and ferry operators.
By IMO resolution, passenger ship Safety Management Systems must be documented as including cyber risk management under the International Safety Management Code no later than the first annual audit after January 1, 2021.
Published by the Inmarsat Research Program, “Cyber Security Requirements for IMO 2021” offers insights into Inmarsat’s cyber security experience and examples of real cyberattacks on vessels and provides a guide to the criteria for compliance with the new IMO requirements.
The 40-page document highlights the way threats continue to adapt and evolve, There has been a fourfold increase in cyberattacks on maritime targets that coincides with the industry’s move to home-based working through the COVID-19 pandemic. It also provides a comprehensive explanation of the often misunderstood distinctions between anti-virus software and network endpoint security.
“As the passenger ship fleet heads towards a new regime on cyber security, this is a significant publication for anyone investigating the fast-evolving threats facing cruise vessels and ferries at sea,” said Peter Broadhurst, Senior Vice President, Safety, Security, Yachting and Passenger, Inmarsat Maritime. “Anyone wanting to know what the new IMO rules mean and, in Fleet Secure Endpoint, the viable solutions already available to support towards compliance can’t afford to miss Cyber Security requirements for IMO 2021.”
To deepen industry understanding of the new cyber security regime, the report summarizes industry exposure to date, identifies the vessel-specific vulnerabilities that have driven regulators to act and explores the precedents from outside and inside the maritime sector for IMO rule development.
Inmarsat also provides guidance on Fleet Secure Endpoint (FSE), its cyber security protection, monitoring and reporting tool that can support cruise ship and ferry owners and managers towards compliance. Without additional hardware, FSE’s multi-layered network protection against phishing, spyware, botnets and more updates system status using software on end-user machines.
Categories: Cruise Ships, Ferries, News, Regulations, Shipping
