Last week's maritime trend news
December 15, 2022 - December 21, 2022
Maritime Cybersecurity News   by DSLABcompany
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Recent Cybersecurity Incident Summary
Weekly Hot Trend
  Samsung Heavy Industries Co. announced that it has developed a blockchain-based cyber security solution to strengthen digital information security for autonomous ships for the first time in the shipbuilding industry. This technology sends the data created by the shipbuilder’s remote autonomous navigation system known as Samsung Autonomous Ship, or SAS, and the electronic navigation log to external sources through the blockchain platform VechainThor. When important digital information is exchanged between ships and land stations, this solution helps prevent such information from being manipulated by third parties. After succeeding in verifying the technology, Samsung Heavy obtained a Statement of Fact from DNV GL, a Norwegian ship quality assurance company. The shipyard has been striving to develop cyber security solutions for ship use, including the acquisition of the world’s first certification for smart ship cyber security technology in 2018. “Cyber security is an essential technology for remote autonomous ships, for which a connection between the ship, land station and the system is inevitable,” said Kim Hyun-joe, Vice President of Samsung Heavy’s Ship and Offshore Performance Research Centre.  
Weekly News
  Global maritime commerce is a complex system of logistics that is increasingly reliant on digital networks to manage schedules, cargo manifests, navigation, and operations. This makes ships, ports, and other MTS prime targets for adversary nations and malicious cyber actors seeking to disrupt commerce and undermine U.S. national and economic security. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. – United States Coast Guard Cyber Command (CGCYBER) is the U.S. Coast Guard’s response to the growing threat of malware and ransomware to U.S. maritime infrastructure. CGCYBER brings its expertise and unique law enforcement authorities to serve as a valued interagency partner at U.S. Cyber Command and the Department of Defense. Together, CGCYBER gives U.S. Cyber Command the capabilities to respond to foreign and domestic threats. CGCYBER’s mission is guided by three lines of effort: Defend and Operate the Enterprise Mission Platform; Protect the Marine Transportation System; Operate in and Through Cyberspace.
The new simulator will link to the research and development taking place in the COAST Laboratory, providing academics and industry with a virtual environment in which to test their innovations before they are deployed in its wave tanks. Dr Adan Lopez-Santander, lecturer in navigation and maritime science and maritime simulation laboratory lead, said: “This simulator, and the software we have designed for it, is exceptional. It gives us the capacity to replicate in real time what is happening anywhere in the ocean and in any given conditions. It also enables us to monitor the stresses being placed on individual structures, and how they will affect that structure’s interaction with other devices. In sectors such as offshore renewables and marine autonomy, being able to perform these tests in a virtual environment will be critical to existing and future research and development.” The new simulation laboratory complements other facilities already being used for research, teaching and engagement at the University. These include a ship simulator, which is able to recreate the environment of a maritime vessel navigating the ocean, and the Cyber-SHIP Lab, the UK’s only hardware-based maritime cybersecurity research and development platform.
   Researchers at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently discovered suspected Russian hackers lurking inside a U.S. satellite network, raising fresh concerns about Moscow’s intentions to infiltrate and disrupt the rapidly expanding space economy. While details of the attack are scant, researchers blamed the incident on the Russian military group known as Fancy Bear, or APT28. It involved a satellite communications provider with customers in U.S. critical infrastructure sectors. Space security is a growing global concern, especially as key industries and militaries around the world increasingly rely on satellites for vital communications, GPS and internet access. A cyberattack against the U.S. telecom company Viasat, which provides internet service in Europe, disrupted internet service in Ukraine just before the Russian invasion in February. That attack, which officials blamed on Russia, is one of the most significant digital assaults of the war and lead to a warning from the FBI and CISA about other potential Russian infiltration of satellite systems. 
  The commercial maritime industry operates over 90,000 vessels across various segments, from merchant ships to offshore support vessels. Developments in digitization, automation and smart tech have increased the efficiency of marine operations, transforming processes that were previously conducted manually. However, these developments have also created new cyber challenges, like outdated and unsupported software, intrusion into vessel systems and crew-related factors. Many onboard OT systems were installed during vessels’ original construction, as long as 25-30 years ago. With such long lifespans, many commercial vessels are now running outdated and unsupported software, including within operating systems. This makes it easy for attackers to identify ways to target them. In particular, malicious intrusion into vessel control and OT equipment is an inherent risk with severe implications. One of the worst-case scenarios could be that attackers could cause loss of navigational control. Crews often rotate, which means that they use systems they are unfamiliar with. Given the above vulnerabilities, severe and effective attacks could be on the way. 
  South Korea’s Avikus, which specialises in developing autonomous navigation solutions for a range of vessel types, has joined One Sea’s global alliance on maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS). Avikus was founded in January 2021 by Hyundai Heavy Industries Group. Earlier this year, the company’s HINAS 2.0 (Hyundai intelligent Navigation System) solution supported the world’s first transatlantic voyage of a large vessel using autonomous navigation technologies, when the SK Shipping ultra-large liquefied natural gas carrier Prism Courage completed a month-long voyage. In addition to HiNAS for large merchant ships, Avikus offers NeuBoat for smaller vessels. Each of these solutions is available in separate versions to support either navigation or berthing/docking. NeuBoat Navigation and Docking are also available with a higher degree of automation, to offer the potential to take over aspects of vessel operation, control and decision-making. One Sea secretary general, Sinikka Hartonen said: “Welcoming Avikus on board is an exciting development which brings in participation from one of our industry’s most important hubs for innovation. It further highlights One Sea’s continuing expansion in representing the key stakeholders in autonomous ship technology - from Northern Europe, Japan, the United States and now South Korea. Our increasingly broad-based membership further supports the advocacy work we are doing on behalf of the industry to support the development of robust regulations for MASS.” 
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