Expedite safety and security systems
Experts have urged global shipping community, including Indian ship operators, to build a strong anti-cyber security attack system before a disaster happens.
The warning came from Geoff Leeming, partner at Singapore-based cyber-security consultancy, Pragma, who said cyber attack was a mega problem for every industry but the shipping sector has just about “woken up in the last couple of years”.
Anti-cyber attack rules and regulations enforcement in countries like India, which is developing multi-billion dollar maritime infrastructure, is lower than the need of the day, Leeming pointed out.
“Don’t just wait for a cyber attack on your ships and maritine infrastructure, for it may be worst than the 26/11 attack in Mumbai,” said Leeming, referring to the November 2008 terrorist blasts in Mumbai and an earlier 9/11 attack on World Trade Centre in New York in 2011.
“The shipping industry has to wake up to what they can do about these threats from cyber attack planners,” said Leeming.
Indian shipping sector, just like the rest of the world, is low on the use of IT professionals and expertise despite the large pool of IT talent in the country, said Leeming.
Indian maritime infrastructure development includes privately owned ports by companies, which again are likely “identified” targets for cyber attack, added Peter Schellenberger, managing director of OSERV Pte Ltd, a global supply chain & services company from Singapore.
Backing Leeming’s views, Schellenberger said “Indian shipping companies have started looking into cyber security but it has never been the focus as it should be.”
“Some 95 per cent of Indian exports are shipped which needs a strong cyber security system fully backed by regulations and operating regimes,” said Schellenbeerger at a recent presentation on cyber scurity in Singapore.
Both experts appreciated India’s massive infrastructure in planning and implementation phases.
Schellenberger also warned “Don’t wait for an attack to happen and then hustle around to re-write your legislative pieces for safety”.
Citing expensive learning from painful losses, Leeming highlighted container shipping company A.P. Moller Maersk case. Maersk had reportedly said its revenue loss could be as high as US$300 million following the NotPetya cyberattack.
As India develops a large number of its ports, it is timely to have all the regulatory checks in place, stressed the two executives.
“Cyber attack is a dangerously open game. Governments and shipping community should expeditiously work on strong security systems,” said Schellenberger. fii-news.com
