With digitalization comes risk: how ports prevent cyberattacks

While upgrades to digital port technology have offered a number of advantages to each link of the shipping supply chain in terms of efficiency, profitability, and sustainability, the mass amounts of data passed between shareholders everyday makes the industry more susceptible to cyberattacks.

The impacts of such threats are wide sweeping which can disturb port operations in a number of ways. Not only must ports protect employees and port users from, in the worst case, potential injury, digital ambushes can also include the theft of sensitive and critical data, the robbery of cargo and goods, illegal trafficking, system damages, or any harmful actions to the environment.

Any of these threats could force ports to close or interrupt operations which would inflict in financial loss and resulting in an even more vulnerable supply chain susceptible to further damages.

For example, the cyberattack on Maersk, the world’s biggest carrier of seaborn freight, occurred in 2017. This incident caused major halts in operations affecting 76 port terminals around the world that were forced to a standstill, sustaining financial losses up to $300 million from loss of revenue, IT restoration costs, and operations costs.

In the 21^st century, harmful or criminal actions can be conducted in stealth by the use of digital platforms. Ports would need to step up against these threats of the modern era in order to counterstrike any possible cyber-attacks. This demands the need for cybersecurity infrastructure within port authorities has become a major focus for ports around the world.  Learn about the digital security challenges that ports face and how they are developing solutions that help fortify the shipping supply chains to prevent cyber-infiltration.

Cyberattacks: A challenge for every link in the supply chain

While the need for digital security is undeniable, ports around the world face a number of challenges in putting their safety measures in place.

According to the report on Port Cybersecurity: Good Practices for cybersecurity in the maritime sector by Enisa, the main challenges faced when implementing cybersecurity include:

• A lack of a digital culture in the port ecosystem, in which some stakeholders are still conservative.
• A lack of awareness and training regarding cybersecurity.
• A lack of time, budget, and qualified human resources allocated towards these measures.
• Complexity within the port ecosystem including the diverse base of stakeholders.
• The need to find the right balance between business efficiency and cybersecurity.
• New risks resulting from the digital transformations of ports.

This graphic from the same report demonstrates some of the threats that ports face in the wake of cyberattacks.

One of the main challenges is that, since digital systems constitutes an interdependent framework, cyber criminals can use this to their advantage by launching attacks from different points of entry. As the purpose of ports is to be the origin or destination of goods, a disruption would reverberate across the entire system. For this reason, joint response plans are crucial for securing an effective and resilient supply chain.

To achieve this, ports are developing collective coordination structures to share information by using secure technological forums. This can be seen in the work of the Port of Barcelona, which intends to establish a coordinated connection space to give a unified response to any threats that unfold.

The Port of Barcelona: Developing a cybersecurity scheme

Although the usual defense measures taken by companies to prevent attacks, like firewalls or antiviruses, still provide a level of protection, the Port of Barcelona recognized that their advancements in technology require a lot more in order to ensure secure operations.

For this reason, they have enacted a cybersecurity scheme that focuses on adapting legislation, developing specific policies, simulating strikes, training employees, and more.

With the development of their monitoring activities in collaboration with a number of public and private bodies, the Port of Barcelona continues to provide an optimal service that achieves both digital efficiencies and remains secure for all entities that come in contact with it.

This cybersecurity scheme takes into consideration a number of points within the port system including the global strategy of the port. It’s also designed to improve certainty in computer systems and applications, provide support for new developments, raise employee awareness of potential cyberattacks, manage all levels of safety - both preventively and reactively, and apply clearly defined policies.

Each port has the responsibility to take on their own version of a security scheme if they hope to keep movements to and from the port reliable. To achieve this goal, the Port of Los Angeles took the route of developing an operations center, which helps to achieve necessary coordination.