Global marine and offshore classification and technical services provider, American Bureau of Shipping, has been awarded a two year contract by the Maritime Security Centre (MSC), from the Department of Homeland Security, to lead maritime cybersecurity research.
The study will concentrate on the development of threat assessments for maritime cybersecurity and plans of action, study participants, which include DHS and the Department of Defence, will focus on key areas that will help define future research and guidance.
Dr. Hady Salloum, Director of MSC, said: “Cybersecurity incursions and threats to the Marine Transportation System (MTS) and port facilities throughout the country are increasing.
“This research project will support the missions of the DHS Center of Excellence and the U.S. Coast Guard to address these concerns and vulnerabilities and will identify policies and risk management strategies to bolster the cybersecurity posture of the MTS enterprise.”
Feature: Cyber Insecurity
The MSC-sponsored research project has a number of significant objectives that include defining risk-based performance standards better, developing a maritime-specific framework for cyber policy, identifying critical points of cybersecurity failure, developing design requirements for a maritime cyber test-bed and investigating quantitative analysis tools to determine the effectiveness of cyber detection and deterrent strategies.
Howard Fireman, Chief Technology Officer of ABS, said: “Cybersecurity is one of the most pressing and evolving technical and operational challenges impacting the maritime industry today.”
“Our goal with this research program is to leverage the skills and expertise of leading thinkers to build a framework the industry can follow to contend with cyber challenges.”
In early September, 2016, PTI reported that a survey was released by global advisory company Wills Tower Watson (WTW) that had found that the rapid advancement in technology and digital vulnerability are among the top concerns for executives within the transportation industry.
