COVID-19: 400% increase in attempted cyberattacks in the maritime sector
The website offshore-energy.biz reports that the number of attempted cyberattacks in the maritime sector has increased by 400% since February 2020. This surge is reportedly linked in part to the widespread adoption of remote working tools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The figure was cited by Naval Dome, an Israeli cybersecurity company previously mentioned on this site, notably here. Within this reported 400% increase, Naval Dome notes a rise in various forms of malware, including ransomware, as well as phishing attempts. These developments occur in a context where social distancing measures, travel restrictions, and economic difficulties have limited the ability of maritime companies to maintain their usual cybersecurity posture.
Naval Dome’s CEO, Itai Sela, explained: “COVID-19 restrictions, particularly border closures, have forced equipment suppliers, technicians, and vendors to connect previously isolated systems to the internet in order to perform maintenance.” As a result, technicians have often been unable to travel to ships or offshore platforms to perform updates or maintenance on critical OT (Operational Technology) systems, leaving them more exposed to cyber threats.
“Because of budget cuts and the lack of on-site maintenance, we are seeing more vessels and offshore platforms connecting their OT systems to shore-based networks to carry out remote diagnostics and software updates.” Such connections often weaken the traditional segmentation between IT and OT environments. “The growing number of maintenance operators working remotely from personal networks and computers, sometimes insufficiently secured, further increases the risk.”
Sela also noted that during the first three months of 2020, cyberattacks targeting remote workers increased tenfold. McAfee even reported a 630% increase in cloud-based attack attempts between January and April 2020.
At the same time, the economic recession and the drop in oil prices have had a significant impact on oil companies, leading many of them to reduce investments in cybersecurity.