Cyber risk management for autonomous passenger ships using threat-informed defense-in-depth

Abstract

Recent innovations in the smart city domain have led to the proposition of a new mode of transportation utilizing Autonomous Passenger Ships (APS) or ferries in inland waterways. The novelty of the APS concept influenced the cyber risk paradigm and led to different considerations regarding attack objectives, techniques as well as risk management approaches. The main factor that has led to this is the autoremote operational mode, which refers to autonomous operations and remote supervision and control in case of emergency. The autoremote operational mode influences the risk of cyber attacks due to the increased connectivity and reliance on technology for automating navigational functions. On the other hand, the presence of passengers without crew members imposes a safety risk factor in cyber attacks. In this paper, we propose a new cyber risk management approach for managing the cyber risks against cyber physical systems in general and Autonomous Passenger Ships in particular. Our proposed approach aims to improve the Defense-in-Depth risk management strategy with additional components from the Threat-Informed Defense strategy allowing for more evolved cyber risk management capabilities. Moreover, we have utilized the proposed cyber risk management approach for the proposition of a cybersecurity architecture for managing the cyber risks against an APS use case named milliAmpere2. Additionally, we present our results after conducting a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) in cybersecurity evaluation in the maritime domain. Then, the findings of the SLR were utilized for a suitable evaluation of the proposed risk management approach. Our findings suggest that our proposed risk management approach named Threat-Informed Defense-in-Depth is capable of enriching several risk management activities across different stages in the system development life cycle. Additionally, a comprehensive evaluation of the cybersecurity posture of milliAmpere2 has been conducted using several approaches including risk evaluation, simulation, checklist, and adversary emulation. Our evaluation has uncovered several limitations in the current cybersecurity posture and proposed actions for improvement.

Comprehensive Analysis of Maritime Cybersecurity Landscape Based on the NIST CSF v2.0

“…• Govern Function: There has been a focus on 'Organizational Context' [24][25][26][27][28] and 'Risk Management Strategy' [14,[29][30][31][32][33], with several articles addressing these areas. This indicates progress in the understanding and implementation of cybersecurity within the organizational frameworks and risk management processes of maritime operations.…”

“…Enhancing information security in maritime freight transport to address cybersecurity threats was proposed by Melnyk et al [31]. A similar focus, specifically on Autonomous Passenger Ships (APS), was discussed by Amro et al [32], who introduced a cyber risk management approach integrating defense-in-depth with threat-informed defense. Additionally, Rajaram et al [33] offered guidelines for cyber risk management, emphasizing the importance of risk assessment, mitigation measures, and a checklist for shipboard operational technology (OT) systems.…”

Security challenges in civil registration: safeguarding vital information in an evolving landscape

“…The defense-in-depth model employs multiple layers of security controls to provide comprehensive protection. It assumes that no single security measure is foolproof, so it implements a combination of preventive, detective, and corrective controls at different layers [210], [211]. These layers may include: Perimeter Security: Protecting the boundaries of the civil registration system, such as firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and access controls [212].…”

Communication and Cybersecurity Testbed for Autonomous Passenger Ship

“…The communication requirements were utilized to define and design a communication architecture for the APS that allows it to communicate with its operational context and support several navigational services such as autonomous navigation and autonomous engine monitoring and control [10]. On the other hand, the cybersecurity requirements in addition to a group of risk analysis processes for the APS as a cyber physical system [8,11] were utilized to define and design a cybersecurity architecture for the APS [7]. Additionally, the testbed capabilities enable the exploration of additional use cases allowing the advancement of cybersecurity research in maritime.…”

“…-Methods: Several methods for communication analysis are observed in the literature such as wireless coverage analysis [18] and performance analysis [22]. On the other hand, cybersecurity analysis methods include; among others, risk assessment, adversary emulation, and evaluation of security solutions [7]. Additionally, the cybersecurity analysis approaches; depending on the use case under analysis, can be conducted using black box, grey box, or white box analysis techniques [20].…”