CYBERSECURITYBringing Better IT Security on Board

Cyberattacks on industry and critical infrastructure are on the rise across the globe. Targets also include ships, which, by transporting billions of tons of goods around the world each year, form part of international supply chains — yet their on-board IT systems often lack secure protection. To raise awareness of the risks of inadequate cybersecurity at sea and to help develop defensive solutions for guarding against cyberattacks, the Maritime Cyber Security research group at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE has teamed up with the Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services CML to set up a modular maritime security lab. This simulates cyberattacks on ships to find ways to detect and defend against attacks.

For six days in the spring of 2021, the Suez Canal — a narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and an important trade route between locations such as China and Europe — was blocked by the container ship “Ever Given.” A single stricken cargo vessel caused tremendous congestion, with several hundred other container ships stuck as they waited to get through. This in turn had implications for international trade. The resulting delays led to a shortage of containers at ports, threw schedules into several months of disarray and held up shipments.

This incident showed just how dependent we are on maritime bottlenecks like the Suez Canal. As a trading nation, Germany relies on imports and exports running smoothly. If a key trade route is blocked for more than a few days, this has a direct and disruptive impact on production and supply. According to the authorities, the “Ever Given” did not run aground because of a cyberattack, but it is not hard to imagine what could happen in the event of a successful attack on the digital navigation and communication systems on board one or more cargo ships.