Page 14: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 2026)

Ports & Logistics © Oleksii/AdobeStock

UNITE, PREPARE AND ENABLE

MARITIME CYBER READINESS

By Annie McIntyre he maritime transport industry, the backbone of glob- based cybercriminal group. Container terminal opera- al trade, is at a pivot point amid shifts in economic, tions were crippled for more than two days. Trade was political, and technological conditions. Advances in disrupted, affecting major companies like Toyota, and

Ttechnology have entered the industry, thereby im- highlighting critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, follow- proving ef? ciency and enabling innovative solutions for vari- ing an earlier DDoS attack in 2022.

ous onboard operations, including remote cargo monitoring, advanced energy management systems, and overall automation. • From 2011 through 2017, Port of Antwerp, Belgium,

Digitization via interconnected IT/OT systems, however, was exposed to drug cartels that hit the port with malware expands attack surfaces, opening the door to increasingly to spy on its container management system, which gave sophisticated adversaries and cybercriminals determined to them access to credentials and other data. The port has since breach them for ? nancial gain or disruption. Both ports and become a gateway for illegal narcotics to enter Europe.

ships are experiencing an increase in malware, phishing, ran- somware, GPS spoo? ng and social engineering designed to New technologies also expose legacy system vulnerabilities disrupt operations, steal data, or hold systems hostage. and a shortage of skilled professionals.

On January 17, 2025, the USCG published a new ? nal rule • In 2024, the Port of Seattle was attacked by the that establishes regulations requiring all U.S. shipowners and ransomware group Rhysida. The criminals encrypted operators, as well as those operating within U.S. jurisdiction, data, resulting in widespread, sustained outages across to implement cybersecurity measures to protect against threats. multiple systems that affected check-in kiosks, baggage Effective July 2025, the ? nal rule mandates the development of systems, and Wi-Fi. cybersecurity risk management programs and cyber incident response plans, and the implementation of protocols for report- • In 2023, the Port of Nagoya, Japan, was subject to ing cyber breaches. Cybersecurity plans must also align with a ransomware attack by LockBit, a notorious Russia- international standards set by the IMO. This rule aims to en- 14 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • February 2026

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