Marlink cybersecurity solution gains ClassNK Innovation Endorsement

ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to Marlink’s CyberGuard Threat Detection, a service for detecting cybersecurity threats to help shipowners protect against attacks on IT and OT networks.

CyberGuard Threat Detection inspects network traffic received from and sent by a vessel and correlates the event logs with multiple threat intelligence engine databases. Through the intuitive CyberGuard Portal, customers can view any detected cybersecurity threats and respond immediately by applying countermeasures through an onboard platform.

ClassNK has verified these functions of Marlink’s CyberGuard Threat Detection:

1. Cyber Threat & Intrusion Detection System for vessel network traffic,
2. Online CyberGuard Portal to view and react to any detected cyber threats,
3. Cyber Threat alert notifications and reporting,
4. Integrated countermeasures with Marlink’s onboard XChange platform.

ClassNK has issued a certificate to Marlink under its Innovation Endorsement swift certification service. Launched in July 2020 in cooperation with technological front runners, the service’s certification category “Products & Solutions” covers digital equipment and software technology installed for use on vessels.

“Awareness of the risks from cyber attacks is growing in the maritime industry but many vessel operators are not aware of vulnerabilities and threats that are already affecting their operations every day,” said Nicolas Furgé, President, Digital, at Marlink. “ClassNK has recognized that CyberGuard can play a key role in helping its shipowners detect and understand threats and take appropriate remediation action.”

“ClassNK is focused on ensuring that the digital tools available to shipping companies perform as expected and provide the level of functionality that the market requires,” said Hayato Suga, Executive Vice President, Director of Plan Approval and Technical Solution Division, at ClassNK. “I hope that our third-party verification will help the industry’s decision-makers adopt this innovative software with confidence.”

In July 2020, to promote the spread and development of innovative technologies, the ClassNK launched Innovation Endorsement as a swift certification service, cooperating with technological front runners to establish appropriate evaluation criteria. Among the certification categories, “Products & Solutions” covers digital equipment and software technology installed for use on vessels.