The FISMA Focus IPD

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Global cybersecurity attacks have steadily increased in the past few months, effectively shutting down major ocean carriers and impacting marine terminal operations around the globe, most recently hitting transportation and maritime entities such as Maersk and its marine terminal affiliate APMT, the Port of Rotterdam, India’s largest container port JNPT and terminals in the United States. Cybersecurity risks impact all aspects of the maritime sector: ports, port operators, major carriers, terminals, logistics services providers, and shippers and their supply chains.
• The Trump Administration has made it clear that cybersecurity is one of its top priorities. The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently issued a new Navigation and Vessel Inspection Circular (NVIC) specifically on cybersecurity asking for comments by Sept. 11, 2017. This follows the updates issued in December 2016, which added cybersecurity into the list of “security” items that are covered by Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) traditional security mandates.
• The maritime industry is challenged by a continuing reliance on legacy systems and a relegation of cybersecurity to information technology departments. Vessel automation, cargo and container tracking systems, global navigation and supply chain security put the maritime domain at risk as a result. As the industry begins to look at autonomous ships, cybersecurity risk becomes even more critical to manage.

Cybersecurity risks to the nation’s critical infrastructure (CI) – defined as 17 CI sectors, including the transportation and maritime sector – continue to grow exponentially. The U.S. government and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have made it clear that cybersecurity is a mainstream national, homeland and economic security concern and priority.