Cyber Security in the Maritime Industry: A Systematic Survey of Recent Advances and Future Trends

Abstract

The paper presents a classification of cyber attacks within the context of the state of the art in the maritime industry. A systematic categorization of vessel components has been conducted, complemented by an analysis of key services delivered within ports. The vulnerabilities of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) have been given particular consideration since it is a critical subcategory of many maritime infrastructures and, consequently, a target for cyber attacks. Recent research confirms that the dramatic proliferation of cyber crimes is fueled by increased levels of integration of new enabling technologies, such as IoT and Big Data. The trend to greater systems integration is, however, compelling, yielding significant business value by facilitating the operation of autonomous vessels, greater exploitation of smart ports, a reduction in the level of manpower and a marked improvement in fuel consumption and efficiency of services. Finally, practical challenges and future research trends have been highlighted.

Cybersecurity Challenges in the Maritime Sector

“…The Global Maritime Distress System (GMDSS) [20], propulsion control system [21], Integrated Bridge Systems (IBSs), machinery management [22], and power control systems [23] are other key features of the automation systems on board a ship that play an increasingly important role in facilitating the smooth, safe, and efficient operation of the ship. As the complexity, digitalisation, and automation of systems in the maritime industry increase, modern ships and vessels are confronted with an increasing number of new challenges related to the security and data protection of IT systems on board ships [3,6,24]. Recently, several cybercrime cases have been reported in the maritime industry, while others remain unknown as shipowners are not willing to report them for potential reputational damage [24].…”

“…As the complexity, digitalisation, and automation of systems in the maritime industry increase, modern ships and vessels are confronted with an increasing number of new challenges related to the security and data protection of IT systems on board ships [3,6,24]. Recently, several cybercrime cases have been reported in the maritime industry, while others remain unknown as shipowners are not willing to report them for potential reputational damage [24]. Potential threats to the security and privacy of shipboard IT systems are discussed in the next section, along with actual incidents of cyberattacks against these systems.…”

“…The extensive utilisation of automation and IT systems in modern ships provides new opportunities for hackers and malicious actors to implement different cyberattacks that could lead to catastrophic incidents and cause major safety losses [3,6,24]. Extensive research efforts have been made by the research community to identify vulnerabilities in the modern maritime industry [3,6,[24][25][26][27], and many successful cybercrime cases have been reported in the last few years [24,25].…”

“…The extensive utilisation of automation and IT systems in modern ships provides new opportunities for hackers and malicious actors to implement different cyberattacks that could lead to catastrophic incidents and cause major safety losses [3,6,24]. Extensive research efforts have been made by the research community to identify vulnerabilities in the modern maritime industry [3,6,[24][25][26][27], and many successful cybercrime cases have been reported in the last few years [24,25]. According to [24], the main common motivations for these attacks are to gain remote control over ships and vessels, to steal important and confidential information that can be used for launching further attacks, or to disrupt the ship's operations by corrupting important components and making the automated systems unavailable.…”

“…Extensive research efforts have been made by the research community to identify vulnerabilities in the modern maritime industry [3,6,[24][25][26][27], and many successful cybercrime cases have been reported in the last few years [24,25]. According to [24], the main common motivations for these attacks are to gain remote control over ships and vessels, to steal important and confidential information that can be used for launching further attacks, or to disrupt the ship's operations by corrupting important components and making the automated systems unavailable. In fact, most of the IT systems in modern ships are insecure and vulnerable to attack because they are considered less critical to security and performance [6].…”