From: FierceHomelandSecurity
By David Perera
Cybersecurity is an overlooked element of the Port Security Grant Program, writes a Coast Guard commander and Brookings Institution fellow in a paper.
Of the $2.6 billion ports have spent in grant program money since fiscal 2002, less than $6 million–less than one percent–has gone directly to cybersecurity projects, writes Cmdr. Joseph Kramek, in a July paper (.pdf).
Port operators are generally aware that cyber threats exist, Kramek says, but the awareness is low and often doesn’t translate into actual actions. “Cybersecurity culture in U.S. port facilities is generally lacking,” he writes.
Information technology systems in port facilities are, as elsewhere, central to operations. The Port of Long Beach, for example, is rolling out a common operating picture dubbed the Virtual Port System with Port Security Grant Program dollars and has spent more than $35 million over the past 5 years to build a secure fiber and wireless network, Kramek says.
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