The pilot phase of the Maritime Cyber Alliance, a joint project between Airbus, CSO Alliance and the organisation’s technology partner, Wididi, is already ‘bearing fruit’, as it has already received the first anonymous, verified cyber breach report from a vessel at sea.
In addition to a number of attempted email frauds, the cyber breach incident involved a vessel which was forced to drop anchor when a malware infection disabled its navigation systems, as the crew waited for outside help.
The crew estimated the loss of time at around $40,000, highlighting the fact that cyber is effecting shipping at sea, according to data provided by the Be Cyber Aware at Sea campaign.
The Maritime Cyber Alliance was set up in 2017, aiming to enable businesses to discuss cyber concerns in a private fashion.
CSO Alliance recently joined a major partnership, comprising Singaporean government, Finnish technology group Wartsila and cyber security company Templar Executives who have joined forces to launch an international Maritime Cyber Academy in Singapore, one of the countries taking a significant stance against cyber crime.
The Maritime Cyber Alliance will be an important resource tailored to support the Academy as part of this industry leading initiative. Initially, the courses will be available for delivery in both Singapore and London, providing a valuable suite of education tools for the maritime industry at a time when it is finally beginning to get to grips with information and cyber security.
Recently, MPA Singapore announced it would establish a 24/7 Maritime Cybersecurity Operation Centre, by the third quarter of this year, to further augment capabilities for early detection, monitoring, analysis and response to potential cyber attacks.
