DNV has acquired CyberOwl, a global expert in cyber risk monitoring and threat management on board ships. The two companies have joined forces to strengthen the cyber defences of the shipping industry.
The partnership comes at a time when the sector must comply with a wealth of new cyber security regulations and invest in incident detection, response and recovery as increasing implementation of digitally connected systems on board vessels create new vulnerabilities. A typical fleet of thirty cargo vessels now experiences an average of eighty cyber incidents a year (according to CyberOwl, HFW and Thetius (2023): Shifting Tides, Rising Ransoms and Critical Decisions).
‘Digital technologies must continue to scale for a safer, more efficient and greener maritime industry,’ says Remi Eriksen, group president and CEO, DNV. ‘But the benefits of digitalisation and automation cannot be realised without a robust approach to cyber security. That’s why DNV has placed cyber security at the heart of its growth strategy. Together, DNV and CyberOwl will reduce cyber risks and strengthen compliance across the maritime supply chain with services that support all aspects of an organisation’s cyber security needs and manage risk at every stage of a vessel’s lifecycle.’
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Tougher regulations on cyber security
New unified requirements from the International Association of Classification Societies’ (IACS) this year are placing tougher rules on measures that maritime organisations must take to govern, identify, protect, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. This follows International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements already in place for vessel owners, operators and managers to establish cyber security management systems.
Only just over half (56 per cent) of maritime professionals are confident in their ability to meet cyber security regulatory requirements (according to DNV (2023): Maritime Cyber Priority).
Analytics
CyberOwl provides vessel operators with analytics to identify, monitor and manage cyber threats, and evidence regulatory compliance. The company’s Medulla platform and managed security services help owners and operators of hundreds of vessels to discover and maintain asset inventories, monitor for escalating cyber risks, know when crew are behaving insecurely, and evaluate the effectiveness of security controls and cyber security policies.
The acquisition strengthens DNV’s maritime cyber security and emergency response services portfolio. It creates one of the world’s largest specialists in maritime cyber security with a presence in five global shipping hubs – Oslo, London, Singapore, Hamburg and Piraeus.
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DNV Cyber
CyberOwl will team up with DNV’s global network of 3500 maritime risk experts and 500 cyber security specialists. Together, the two companies will address all aspects of a maritime organisation’s cyber security needs, safeguarding demanding IT and industrial control system environments in the sector.
DNV’s acquisition of CyberOwl is the latest step in the independent assurance and risk management provider’s cyber security growth strategy. Earlier this year, DNV created one of Europe’s fastest growing cyber security services businesses – DNV Cyber – by merging its existing cyber security business with two recently acquired companies, Nixu and Applied Risk.
CyberOwl will be operated separately to DNV’s ship classification business.
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