Norwegian university launches "first" maritime cyber attack course
Marie Donlon | March 28, 2023Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have developed what it suggests is the first college course that tackles the largely overlooked area of cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the maritime industry.
As 90% of all world trade involves some component of maritime transport, the industry is likely vulnerable to cyberthreats that could potentially disrupt global commerce, data and safety.
Source: NTNU
As such, the NTNU team developed a maritime digital security course that explores and assesses current oceanic digital threats, examines how vessels are vulnerable to cyber threats and lets students practice handling a ship cyber-attack scenario.
“We see that shipping companies are investing in technological solutions for increased automation and monitoring, which exposes vessels to cyber risks in new ways,” explained the NTNU researchers, who noted that there has been a significant increase in maritime cyberattacks in recent years.
“These cyber threats can both bankrupt companies and affect the safety at sea,” the researchers concluded.