TÜV Rheinland Cyber Trends: Threats in Shipping are Increasing

TÜV Rheinland’s Cybersecurity Trends 2020 available for download. Modern shipping is internationally connected: Freight transport is considered a strategic target for cybercriminals. Cyber risk management can help prevent economic damage.

(Cologne) More than ten billion tons of goods are shipped by sea annually in global trade, with an increasing trend. “Container ships form the core of our global economic traffic. They are now fully integrated into the digital world. This ensures a smoothly functioning supply chain, but also makes the system vulnerable to cybercriminals,” says Wolfgang Kiener, cybersecurity expert at TÜV Rheinland. The networking in maritime technology ranges from onboard systems such as electronic nautical charts and satellite navigation systems to port logistics. Thus, a cyberattack on a single ship is just as possible as on a port or a shipping company.

Cyberattacks with Economic and Geopolitical Goals

In principle, three types of attackers can be distinguished. Even so-called script kiddies, who have relatively little knowledge, can penetrate computer systems with pre-made malware. The resulting damage is usually singular and still quite manageable. The second group includes organized gangs that, for example, inject ransomware, thereby denying container ships access to their own digital systems and complicating orderly communication in freight transport to extort ransom.

The economic damage from this digital piracy can quickly reach high millions. One example is the attack on the shipping company Maersk in 2017. Cybercriminals were able to access the logistics control of the global corporation and encrypt the systems – resulting in the inability to trace where which cargo was on the container ships and where different goods were stored. In just two weeks, the company incurred damages of 300 million US dollars. “Such an attack can threaten the existence of a global player – and thus have significant impacts on global goods traffic,” emphasizes Kiener.

Actively Uncover Vulnerabilities in the System

“The protection of systems is not keeping pace with the increasing digital networking of shipping. Therefore, it is all the more important that companies become aware of their vulnerabilities and take proactive risk management measures to prevent cyber threats,” advises Kiener. Based on risk analyses, it can be determined where potential entry points for attackers lie and how much the company would need to invest to close them.

The increasing threat of cyberattacks in shipping is one of seven topics in TÜV Rheinland’s Cybersecurity Trends 2020.

About TÜV Rheinland

Safety and quality in almost all areas of business and life: This is what TÜV Rheinland stands for. With more than 21,400 employees and an annual turnover of 2.1 billion euros, the company, founded around 150 years ago, is one of the world’s leading testing service providers. The highly qualified experts of TÜV Rheinland inspect technical systems and products around the globe, accompany innovations in technology and business, train people in numerous professions, and certify management systems according to international standards. This ensures trust along global supply chains and value creation chains. Since 2006, TÜV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact for more sustainability and against corruption.

TÜV Rheinland Trend Report

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