Navigating cyber security risks across the vessel lifecycle

Tom Walters, at HFW, and Daniel Ng, of CyberOwl, find cyber risks start at the very birth of a vessel and run throughout its life

The maritime industry is facing increasing cyber exposure as examples of targeted, multi-vessel cyber attacks have started appearing in addition to persisting organised, financially-motivated cyber criminals. These groups leverage ransomware, data breaches and system hijacking to exploit operational weaknesses. However, uncertainty around roles and responsibilities for managing vessel cyber security across its lifecycle makes it difficult to deal with this challenge.