The maritime sector is experiencing a significant surge in cyber attacks, driven by geopolitical tensions that are prompting state-affiliated hackers to target global trade routes.
In 2023, shipowners, ports, and other maritime entities encountered at least 64 cyber incidents, according to a study by researchers from NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. This marks a stark increase from just three incidents reported a decade earlier, and none in 2003.
Data from the university, which specializes in maritime training, reveals that over 80% of documented cyber incidents with known perpetrators since 2001 have originated from Russia, China, North Korea, or Iran.
“The established international rules-based order that has supported the shipping industry since World War II is under unprecedented threat,” remarked Guy Platten, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Shipping, which represents shipowners managing about 80% of the global commercial fleet.
Recent cyber attacks linked to state actors have highlighted how ongoing conflicts, from Ukraine to the Middle East, are disrupting global trade by affecting shipping, which handles over 80% of international goods.
Maritime experts caution that an industry historically accustomed to physical security threats is ill-equipped to handle the challenges of digital piracy.
“The maritime sector’s investment in IT is relatively low,” noted Stephen McCombie, a maritime IT security professor at NHL Stenden. “[Shipowners] need professionals with expertise in both maritime operations and cybersecurity, but this is a very niche field.”
Experts are concerned that a cyber attack could exacerbate existing disruptions as shipowners grapple with the impacts of global conflicts on trade routes.
The growing digitization of ships and the widespread adoption of internet-connected devices via low Earth orbit satellites are opening new avenues for cyber threats, according to Tom Walters, a shipping lawyer at HFW. Walters, who has assisted clients with such incidents, warned that a cyber attack on a vessel’s systems could cause disruptions akin to the recent Baltimore bridge collapse, which shut down one of the US’s busiest ports, forced car manufacturers to reroute shipments, and led to substantial insurance claims.
