A survey by independent satellite communications provider NSSLGlobal has revealed that, although crew members understand that they are partially responsible for maintaining cyber security onboard their vessels, an astonishing 84% claim to have received limited or no cyber security training from their employers.
To help crews better understand the cyber security risks they face, and as part of its ongoing campaign to promote cyber security at sea, NSSLGlobal has recently co-produced a "cyber security at sea" training video, which the organisation also includes on all newly-installed equipment.
Human Factor Biggest Risk in Cyber Security at Sea
NSSLGlobal’s Twitter survey of 571 crewmembers reveals that although 64% of crews accept responsibility for security of onboard IT systems, the vast majority of maritime employers are not doing enough to help crews understand the risks they face, and how to avoid them.
With the majority of attacks being targeted at people rather than IT infrastructure, the "human factor" is widely considered to be the biggest risk in cyber security at sea. The maritime industry needs to provide thorough cyber security training and education to its crews to keep these risks to a minimum, says NSSLGlobal.
'The lack of cyber security training is a real concern, but largely tallies with what we’re seeing in the industry,' commented Nigel Quinn, IT Security and Enterprise Manager, NSSLGlobal. 'With threat vectors and the nature of security threats constantly evolving, the maritime industry needs to be just as prepared as any other industry to tackle the issue head on. […] Even with the best technical solutions and tools in place, if people aren’t trained to a satisfactory standard and don’t understand what the threat is, then customers put their systems at risk.'
Cyber Security at Sea Training Video
Quinn: 'As part of our wider cyber security initiative, and to support the training of crews on board vessels, we’ve made our educational cyber security film, which we launched in July in collaboration with Fidra Films. This film is designed to raise awareness of cyber crime and the steps needed to mitigate against it, which is particularly valuable as we feel educating our mariners is the first line of defence.'
Watch the video below.
