Cyber Security threats in the maritime industry - be a doctor

The rising of cyber security threats in the maritime industry is tremendous.

There is a big discussion how to create good response processes and companies are paying a lot of money for consultants.

Don’t get me wrong - response processes are important to minimise to damage

However, response processes are like treating symptoms and hope for fast recovery.What about prevention ? What about curing the root cause ? Be a doctor !

During lot of discussions in the industry I identified some root causes - here are two causes that I came across with as an example: 

Lack of education 

Companies are buying new software to save costs and create more efficient processes. The (ongoing) training part is underestimated. A lot of people are thinking a ?learning by doing“ method is sufficient. Add a proper training strategy and ask the employees for their feedback. Speak about the personal value that they get out of it. Listen carefully. Adjust the training process. The employee emotional buy-in is critical for the success of a software project. Get them onboard !

Software landscape 

Very often companies are using too many software solutions for one business process. Very often historical changes are the reason for it. One software for this internal process , one software meet regulation ?xyz“. Now multiple this with years and have got your fragmented landscape. But this is creating interfaces where attacks are often possible. Review your software landscape and check how the software can support your business processes. When you do a change here , don’t forget point 1.

Be a doctor - treat symptoms and treat the root cause.