ONBOARD Magazine summer 2019

ADVERTORIAL
Cyber security, or
the lack of it, is
often portrayed as
a pivot point upon which
the smooth running of
contemporary society is
precariously balanced.
There can be little doubt
that it legitimately represents one of the
most fundamental concerns of our times,
considering that the integrity of everything
from business-critical services and sensitive
personal data to asset monitoring, transport
network infrastructure and even political
processes is now entirely contingent upon
the impregnability of online networks.
Maritime cyber security naturally presents
its own set of specific challenges. Cyberattackers
have been characteristically quick
to exploit vulnerabilities in this sector,
leading to threats not just on individual
vessel systems, but also sophisticated,
enormously damaging ransomware attacks
on multinational shipping conglomerates.
In the superyacht sector alone, the
statistics make for sobering reading. In
a poll conducted for Inmarsat’s 2018
Superyacht Connectivity Report, almost
40% of respondents admitted that their
onboard cyber security regime merely
consisted of a basic firewall. Combine
this in the bigger picture with the 2017
findings of FutureNautics’ Ship Operators
Cyber Security Survey, in which 39% of
respondents reported a cyberattack on
their vessels’ onboard systems within the
last 12 months, and it becomes obvious
that cyber resilience remains an issue that
entire swathes of the seafaring community
urgently need to engage with.
At its most basic level, the initial problem
may be one of perception. The assumption
among superyacht skippers and crew has
often appeared to be that a standard
antivirus programme will cover all their cyber
security requirements. Not unreasonably,
many are drawn to the idea of a one-shot
easy fix, a silver bullet that will discreetly seal
off their systems for good – job done. There
is, of course, no such thing, and infallible,
100% cyber security is a hopeful concept
at best; so it’s important to acknowledge
that an in-depth cyber defence incentive
consisting of multiple layers is by some
distance the most effective approach to
adopt for achieving far higher security.
It is for this reason that Inmarsat developed
its Fleet Secure Portfolio, which consists
of three services – Fleet Secure UTM
(Unified Threat Management), which is a
comprehensive set of tools designed to
continuously inspect, detect and protect
the vessel’s network; Fleet Secure Endpoint,
a powerful multi-layered endpoint security
solution to prevent attacks whilst removing
infections and threats throughout the
onboard endpoints; and Fleet Secure
Cyber Awareness, cyber security training
specifically targeted for seafarers, raising
awareness to assist in preventing threats
before they get on board. Each service is
separate, so customers can opt to choose
one of the three, or deploy all of them. The
Fleet Secure Portfolio actively seeks to
maintain a secure system core by ringing it
with this three-pronged defence strategy
combining network security, awareness and
training, and endpoint security.
Generic antivirus software only has antispyware
and anti-phishing capabilities, and
will only work if the most recent update
version is installed. Updates often need
to be actioned on a daily basis, and with
modern attack vectors encompassing
methods to bypass antivirus there can
still be no guarantee to catch every form
of malicious software.
However, in order to fulfill its brief, Fleet
Secure Endpoint has to encompass a raft
of additional duties including ransomware
prevention, botnet protection, network
monitoring, web control, multi-engine
scanning, endpoint health status and threat
alerting, and the provision of a full asset
inventory – software, hardware and so on.
Clearly, a proactive means of detecting,
alerting and reporting ever-more insidious
and cunning methods of cyberattack is key
to staying ahead of the curve. The Fleet
Secure Endpoint solution is designed to
spot new nodes on the network or malign
encryption attempts: the solution instantly
informs users of any anomalous activity which
deviates from the ‘known good’ configuration
while simultaneously barring access to all
files on the device, segregating the affected
part of the system so that other systems
aren’t impacted.
In purely practical terms, another attractive
aspect of the solution is that it places
little surplus demands on contracted
Inmarsat’s 2018 Superyacht
Connectivity Report revealed
almost 40% of respondents
admitted that their onboard
cyber security regime merely
consisted of a basic firewall
bandwidth and requires no extra outlay
on hardware. Operating via high-speed
broadband connectivity, it determines
external attacks including, crucially, malware
which may have been introduced into the
vessel’s local area network by accident.
It has been estimated that 95% of maritime
cyberattack incidents are caused by simple
human error. The entire network can be
compromised by crew members downloading
from unreliable sources, unknowingly plugging
infected USB sticks into operational IT
equipment (navigational equipment and
engine monitoring systems, etc), or even
merely charging their vape pens through
USB ports. The belief that devices which
carry no data are impervious to infection is,
sadly, untrue. And on this topic, superyacht
crews need to be made aware that tech
items such as drones, smart TVs and music
systems are also vulnerable.
Preventing accidental cyber security
breaches such as these before they
can occur is a central pillar of the Fleet
Secure ideology. The first line of defence
is to encourage best practice through
detailed guidelines, appropriate training and
strict adherence to designated processes
(including the regular changing of system
passwords and Wi-Fi access codes). To this
end, Inmarsat has collaborated with the
Marine Learning Alliance and management
consultants Stapleton International to
devise Fleet Secure Cyber Awareness – a
dedicated cyber security training regime
to enlighten crews and captains about the
many ways through which the onboard IT
infrastructure can become compromised.
Forewarned is forearmed...
For more details
Contact a local Inmarsat partner
or visit www.inmarsat.com/maritime
ONBOARD | SUMMER 2019 | 67