Cybersecurity and Disruptive Technologies

Cybersecurity plays a vital role in the maritime industry due to increasing digitalisation and automation, which have resulted in the introduction of new threats and regulatory requirements. This digital transformation proves to be a double-edged sword as it is essential to the operation of critical shipping systems. However, it also poses a major risk to maritime infrastructure and vessels, leaving them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. The consequences of such cyber-attacks have a significant impact on the safety of personnel and the environment. This chapter focuses on cybersecurity and disruptive technologies through the lens of maritime vessels. It introduces vessels as a cyber-physical environment, examines the landscape of both cyber threats, vulnerabilities, and actual attacks in the maritime sector, identifies the efforts to overcome cyber threats to vessels and finally, analyses cyber power in the maritime environment. The findings suggest that, over recent years, industry stakeholders and regulatory bodies have made provisions towards cybersecurity in regulatory frameworks. These provisions focus on building effective cybersecurity resilience through awareness and training on the cyber threat landscape and cyber risk management of their information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems.