Like many industries, the maritime sector has its own cybersecurity vulnerabilities due to its nature and operations. These involve:
- Transactions. The maritime industry is transaction-intensive, with documents such as bills of lading and letters of credit shared by a large number of stakeholders (e.g., carriers, cargo owners, terminal operators). All stakeholders may have different information systems, opening the risk of cyber-vulnerability. Due to the chain of custody in transportation, cargo switches from one information system to another, such as between the carrier, the terminal operator, and the warehouse.
- Asset value. The cargo carried by maritime transportation and handled at ports can be of high value, providing an incentive for criminal groups to engage in cyber-attacks. The same applies to the physical assets, including ships, equipment, and facilities. Further, this capital intensity, such as economies of scale, offers limited substitution if a disruption takes place, increasing the vulnerability and the leverage if a cyber-attack is successful.
- Transnationalism. The maritime industry is transnational by definition, which implies multiple jurisdictions to own or move assets. This also involves complex procurement mechanisms for software and IT devices where a flaw in one branch has the potential to propagate across multiple transnational branches. Further, several ports and carriers are closely related to the national interests of the states they represent and, as such, can be the target of cyber warfare.
- Life cycle. The physical assets have a long life cycle, implying the presence of legacy systems and equipment. Upgrading the IT is costly and tends to lag behind.