New Cyber Security Guidelines Developed For Ships

[Guest_Jim_*]

It seems a truth for modern times is that if something has a computer in it, it is vulnerable to attack. A new set of guidelines for securing the computers onboard ships has been released to hopefully prevent a host of issues the shipping industry has faced. These include malware getting onto systems used to manage and navigate ships, even when air-gapped, and issues coming from the outdated operating systems.

Among the stories shared in the ZDNet article is one where malware was introduced by a USB device when a service technician was onboard. Because the worm needed to connect to the Internet to receive instructions and it was discovered prior to it being connected, it was never activated, but was present for 875 days. Other stories involve the ECDIS system used for electronic navigation failing because it was updated but the computers' operating system was not, and it could not support the navigation software. Also there have been incidents of ransomware with these shipping vessels and the shipping companies' network.

With the new guidelines, the hope is to avoid these incidents in the future, by both preventing infections and properly maintaining the systems so other preventable issues are avoided.

Source: ZDNet

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