About
Olivier JACQ is an independent researcher, professional, and consultant in maritime cybersecurity.
He created this blog in 2018, convinced of the importance of taking cybersecurity into account in the maritime sector, in order to share his views on the subject.
Background
Passionate about cybersecurity, networks and telecommunications, he wrote his first lines of code in 1985, on a TRS-80 and then on a ZX Spectrum.
After a scientific baccalaureate (bac C), he joined the French Navy, where he pursued a 28-year career. He held various positions in information security from 1999 onwards, with a focus on CISO roles, but also on training, certification, digital forensics and cyber surveillance, research, and education. He notably took part in the creation of the Specialized Master’s program in Cybersecurity of Maritime and Port Systems (CSMP). He spent a total of three years of his life at sea, on, above, and below the water.
The Navy enabled him to rise through the ranks, finishing with the rank of Lieutenant Commander (Capitaine de corvette), and to obtain several degrees, including:
- the title of Information Systems Security Expert (ESSI) from the French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) ;
- a Specialized Master’s in Cybersecurity, jointly awarded by École CentraleSupélec and IMT Atlantique ;
- a PhD in cybersecurity, completed at Lab-STICC.
Today
Since then, he has continued his work on this subject he is passionate about:
- he directly participated in the creation of France Cyber Maritime and was its Technical and Scientific Director from 2021 to 2025 ;
- he is an associate researcher at the Naval Research Institute (IRENav) ;
- he works as a Research and Development engineer at DIATEAM ;
- he is a maritime cybersecurity expert for EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency) and ENISA (European Union Agency for Cybersecurity) ;
- he is a space ambassador for the French space agency CNES ;
- finally, he created his own consulting company, CYBERMOOV Consulting.
Teaching
He teaches and has taught in several maritime and higher education institutions, including:
- École nationale supérieure maritime (ENSM), France’s national maritime academy, Marseille and Nantes campuses: occasional lectures on behalf of France Cyber Maritime
- French Naval Academy: teaching, jury chair
- IUT of Lorient: Professional Bachelor’s degree in shipbuilding and marine industry trades (MICN)
- University of Western Brittany (UBO): Master’s in digital law and governance (DGN) and Master’s in the law of maritime spaces and activities (DEAM)
- CentraleSupélec: Specialized Master’s in Cybersecurity
- IMT Atlantique: engineering degree
- Centrale Méditerranée: Specialized Master’s in Cybersecurity of Complex Systems for Industry and Defence
- ENSIBS: engineering degree
He taught in the CSMP Specialized Master’s from its launch in 2020, a programme run by IMT Atlantique together with ENSTA Bretagne, the French Naval Academy and ENSM.
He also supervises interns, apprentices, and PhD students.
Volunteer work
On a voluntary basis:
- he helps organize the digital security conference Unlock Your Brain Harden Your System ;
- he is a board member of La Cantine Numérique de Brest ;
- he is a member of the M82 association ;
- he contributes to the Tremplins Numérique program at IMT Atlantique ;
- he is also a Cyber Helper (Aidant Cyber).
Publications and talks
Olivier has written and co-written more than fifteen articles and chapters on maritime cybersecurity, and regularly gives keynotes or conference talks on the subject. Among the most notable:
- 16/06/2026 - SEAMLESS EU project: Cyber Threat Landscape for Autonomous Maritime Systems
- 24/03/2026 - Assessing the cyber threat in the maritime supply chain, from the harbor to the high seas, EU-Thailand-Japan regional seminar on Maritime Cyber Security, Bangkok (ESIWA+)
- 25/11/2025 - Foundations & Practise of Security (FPS), keynote speaker
- 15/10/2024 - Straits and Cybersecurity, colloquium CESM/CDMO/Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale/Nantes Université/ANRS/SHD
- 19/10/2023 - A deep dive into Maritime Cybersecurity - Hack.lu
- 29/10/2021 - First Results on the use of cyber ranges to enhance awareness in the maritime sector - 5th NATO NMIOTC Cybersecurity Conference
- 12/01/2021 - Real-time detection, contextual analysis and visualisation of cyberattacks: elaboration of the Maritime Cyber Situational Awareness - IMT Atlantique, PhD thesis
- 01/07/2018 - Detecting and Hunting Cyberthreats in a Maritime Environment: Specification and Experimentation of a Maritime Cyber Security Operations Centre - CSNet 2018
The full list of talks and media appearances is available on the Publications and talks page.
During his PhD work, he developed on this website the first open database listing maritime cybersecurity incidents worldwide, ADMIRAL. This database has since been transferred to the France Cyber Maritime association.
In the media
A few press, podcast and video appearances:
- 09/03/2026 - Itinéraire d’un cybermarin (in French)
- 03/07/2025 - Two Brest residents develop software to unmask fake ships (in French)
- 26/03/2025 - Maritime cybersecurity: Brittany at the forefront in the face of a growing threat (in French)
- 20/05/2023 - NoLimitSecu podcast, special edition: GPS (in French)
- 13/11/2022 - NoLimitSecu podcast #388: France Cyber Maritime (in French)
- 10/02/2022 - Cybersecurity at the heart of maritime challenges (One Ocean Summit, in French)
Awards
He has also received three awards for his research work:
- Daveluy Prize 2022 from the Chief of Staff of the French Navy, category “Engineering Sciences”
- “Cyber” Prize 2022 of the “Crypto, Cyber and Compliance” competition - BLL Consulting
- Beauplet-Rollinat Prize 2019 - Issued by Alliance Navale
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