
The Center of Excellence for Cyber Defence of NATO has published a policy brief on cyber threats tied to states that place at risk essential harbour infrastructures, document that assesses the degree of cybersecurity and the challenges that the ports must face and that provides recommendations to strengthen the marine computer defense of NATO. Recalling that the ports enliven about 80% of the global trade and play a fundamental role in the logistic network of defense of NATO, the analysis of the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) emphasizes that the harbour ports are increasingly threatened by sophisticated computer operations conducted by actors linked to states and precise that recent intelligence data indicate a high frequency of cyber attacks against the harbour structures in Europe and in the Mediterranean, many of which
The policy brief offers an overview of the challenges of digitization in the maritime sector, which require coordination between traditional industrial control systems and the latest digital solutions, an overview of threats, from advanced ones supported by states to those brought by cyber criminals motivated by economic interests, and an overview of gaps at the level of policies in the current rules on cybersecurity.
To address these increasing risks, the CCDCOE first calls for a review of NATO's maritime strategy, which was last updated in 2011, in order to integrate cybersecurity as an essential component of maritime safety. According to the Centre, this revision should formalize modalities for the involvement of the commercial port operators, recognizing the crucial role in maritime safety and the logistic operations of NATO. The strategy should also address the labile boundaries between civil and military maritime security. Moreover, the strategy should establish protocols for the involvement of NATO on the occasion of important cyber accidents affecting marine infrastructures, including mechanisms of coordination between military commands and civil harbour authorities. The CCDCOE also invites to ensure that the update of the strategy reflects the strategic importance of computer resilience in modern port operations and logistic chains.
The Centre then recommends to develop and activate a platform for specific intelligence sharing for marine cyber threats, which should facilitate not only the sharing of intelligence on threats, but also the best practices, lessons learned and the coordinated planning of the response between maritime stakeholders. The precise document that the network could rely on successful models such as Cyber Standard, ReCAAP ISC and NMIO Global Maritime Community of Interest.
The document therefore invites NATO to establish connecting roles between its marine command MARCOM and the national authorities for the cybersecurity of the ports, developing complete manuals for coordinated answers to meanings cyber accidents that affect harbour infrastructure. Such connection function should facilitate the regular exchange of information and evaluate the integration of the harbour cybersecurity scenarios in larger NATO marine exercises, such as Dynamic Mongoose and Trident Juncture.
Finally, the stakeholders of the sector are recommended to establish international working groups under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization to develop specific safety standards for the maritime sector and to ensure the uniformity of standards throughout the Atlantic Alliance. These working groups should bring together port operators, shipping companies, government agencies and cybersecurity experts to develop global standards that address the challenges of maritime cybersecurity. Groups should also focus on the development of practical guidelines for the implementation of existing computer security frameworks in the marine field, addressing the specific challenges of convergence between information technology and operational technology in port operations.