KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq:KVHI), hosted maritime industry
leaders for a frank discussion about cyber security prior to the
start of the CMA Shipping 2016 conference in Stamford, Connecticut,
yesterday morning. During the roundtable, a range of concerns about
the current level of vulnerability emerged. Among the key issues
identified were complacency by ship operators, lack of training for
crew, non-existent contingency plans for dealing with a cyber
attack, and the need for a set of best practices for minimizing
risks.
“We need to bring the same best practices that we expect on
shore and in our corporate networks to ships,” said Rick Driscoll,
KVH vice president of satellite products and services. “Ship
operators need to make sure there’s a process that is consistent
throughout their organization, especially as ships are increasing
their data usage. For example, a vessel’s digital systems must be
configured to ensure personal devices brought onboard by the crew
use a network separate from ship operations, and that individual
passwords are utilized when logging onto the ship’s computer
systems, rather than relying on one password common to the ship.
Those practices would be standard procedure anywhere else.”
The panelists participating in the roundtable were: Gerardo
Borromeo, president, InterManager; Nigel Cleave, CEO, Videotel;
Rick Driscoll, KVH; Angus Frew, secretary general, BIMCO; Peter
Hinchliffe, secretary general, International
Chamber of Shipping (ICS); Viraj Nilakanta, manager of business
development, Fleet Management Ltd.; Denis Petropoulos, president,
Braemar Asia; Esben Poulsson, president of the Singapore Shipping
Association; and, Katharina Stanzel, managing
director, Intertanko. Sean Moloney, editor of Ship Management
International, was the moderator, and will be producing an article
and white paper on the topic.
Several panelists mentioned that the issue is only beginning to
be understood by the industry. “I think currently ships are
relatively low-tech, and there is a high degree of complacency,”
said Peter Hinchliffe, secretary general, ICS. “As ships get more
high tech, which is happening rapidly, we very much need guidelines
and contingency plans.”
To instill safe cyber behavior among onboard personnel,
panelists mentioned the importance of training. “With increased
emphasis on minimizing cyber risks, education and training of the
seafarers is vital, but it must be supported from the top,” says
Nigel Cleave, CEO of Videotel, a KVH company. “Crew need to be
aware of the risks, for example, of bringing unlicensed material
onboard, which could introduce a virus or other problem.”
Videotel is currently collaborating with BIMCO on a maritime
training program about safe cyber practices for seafarers, using
the recently published “Guidelines on Cyber Security Onboard
Ships,” as a point of reference. The guidelines were produced by
several maritime groups including BIMCO, ICS, and Intertanko.
One particularly challenging aspect discussed by the panel is
the fact that maritime regulations may never be able to keep up
with the fast pace of cyber crimes, which are continually evolving.
Regulations must be accompanied by a shift in mindset, panelists
noted, so that awareness is raised on every level, whether it is
about the personal devices brought onboard or a malicious attack
that could compromise a ship’s navigation system.
Industry guidelines, it was felt, should ensure that vessels
have cyber attack contingency plans in place and are doing drills
just as they do for other types of safety risks onboard.
“Regulations can set minimum levels of security practices, and
industry guidelines can build on that,” said KVH’s Rick Driscoll.
“Just as on land, it is impossible to be 100% protected against
cyber risks. However, establishing contingency plans and following
cyber safety measures will give vessels a much higher level of
protection.”
KVH and KVH Media Group are participating in other panel
discussions during the CMA Shipping 2016 conference this week. On
Wednesday, March 23, at 9:50 a.m., Sue Henney, head of marketing
for Videotel, KVH Media Group, and Crewtoo will discuss trends in
seafarer happiness based on the soon-to-be-released Crewtoo
Seafarers Happiness Index annual report. On Wednesday, March 23, at
10:15 a.m., Mike Mitsock, vice president of marketing for KVH, will
speak on the topic of big data as a two-way communications tool
vital to commercial maritime success.
Note to Editors: For more information about KVH’s maritime
solutions, please visit the KVH website, www.minivsat.com/one. For
more information about Videotel’s maritime training programs,
please visit the Videotel website, www.videotel.com.
High-resolution images of KVH products are available at the KVH
Press Room Image Library,
www.kvh.com/press-room/image-library.
About KVH Industries, Inc.KVH Industries is a
leading provider of in-motion satellite TV and communications
systems, having designed, manufactured, and sold more than 200,000
mobile satellite antennas for applications on vessels, vehicles,
and aircraft. KVH is also a leading news, music, and entertainment
content provider to many industries including maritime, retail, and
leisure. Videotel, a KVH company, is the market-leading provider of
training films, computer-based training and e-Learning. KVH is
based in Middletown, RI, with research, development, and
manufacturing operations in Middletown, RI, and Tinley Park, IL.
The company’s global presence includes offices in Belgium, Brazil,
Cyprus, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway,
Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
KVH and Videotel are trademarks of KVH
Industries, Inc.
For further information, please contact:
Jill Connors, Media & Industry Analyst Manager
KVH Industries, Inc.
Tel: +1 401-851-3824
jconnors@kvh.com
or
Phil Page, Elaborate Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 1296 682104
ppage@elabor8.co.uk
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