Bimco, together with other leading shipping organisations, has launched a set of guidelines to help the global shipping industry prevent major safety, environmental and commercial issues that could result from a cyber incident onboard a ship.
The cyber guidelines are a first for the shipping industry, developed by international shipping associations, comprising Bimco, CLIA, ICS, Intercargo and Intertanko, and with support from a wide range of stakeholders.
Potential cyber vulnerabilities for ships – and their implications – have been identified based on the latest expert research. The aim is to provide the shipping industry with clear and comprehensive information on cyber security risks to ships enabling ship owners to take measures to protect against attacks and to deal with the eventuality of cyber incidents.
Untargeted and Targeted Cyber Attacks
In general there are two categories of cyber attacks: Untargeted and targeted attacks. In the first case a company or ship’s systems and data are one of many potential targets whilst in the second case a company or a ship’s systems and data are the intended target. The growing complexity of ships and their connectivity with services provided from shore side networks via the internet, makes on board systems increasingly exposed to cyber attacks.
Cyber threats are changing all the time – and BIMCO and the other industry associations will regularly update the cyber guidelines to ensure shipping companies have the latest information available.
Download the guidelines (PDF by Bimco).
