The Netherlands has created the largest database of hacker attacks on maritime transport

Researchers from the Netherlands created a unique database that contains information about more than 160 cyber attacks on maritime transport around the world. The database is called “Maritime Cyber ​​Attack Database” (MCAD) And available for public viewing online . Among the incidents included in the database, there are also such as the fake location of NATO ships in the Black Sea in 2021.

The purpose of creating the database is to raise awareness of cybersecurity in the maritime industry and provide information for further research and more accurate simulations in this critical area.

As stated by Dr. Stephen McCombie, professor of maritime information security at the University of Applied Sciences NHL Standen and the leader of the research team that created the base, “a lot is possible today, so we need to educate governments and organizations about such cyberattacks, and help them understand how to be prepared for them and how to respond appropriately.”

The MCAD database contains information about incidents related not only to ships, but also to ports and other maritime facilities. The information is collected from open sources and covers various types of cyber attacks, such as hacking, blackmail, data forgery, destabilization of systems, etc.

Some of the incidents had serious security and economic consequences. For example, in 2014, the system administrator of an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier carried out an internal attack on the ship during its voyage. And in 2019, a large container ship was infected with ransomware, which prevented it from entering the Port of New York.

With over 90% of the world’s cargo transported by sea (equivalent to 70% of the value of global trade), maritime cybersecurity is a top priority. However, much of the fleet and the technology it uses are becoming obsolete and increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. According to data collected for MCAD, 38% of active oil tankers and 59% of general purpose ships have been in operation for more than 20 years.

Peter Mulder, Director of the Information and Creative Technology Academy at NHL Stenden University, said: “By creating this public database, we are raising awareness of cyber incidents in the maritime industry and generating data for further research by our research team led by Professor Stephen McCombie and our associate partners.” .

One use of the database is to develop realistic simulations of cyber attacks on maritime transport so that companies, organizations, ports and harbors can prepare for them in advance.

The research team will also use MCAD to generate reports and research papers showing trends and detailed analysis of data subsets.

McCombie added: “The Incident Database is not a one-time thing, it will be regularly updated and supplemented. Although we manually searched for information for the initial investigation, we are now developing artificial intelligence that will help automate the identification of new incidents and the identification of additional details on already known incidents.