ABS Contracted for 2-Year Maritime Cybersecurity Research Project

International classification society the American Bureau of Shipping has been awarded a research by the U.S. Maritime Security Center to conduct a two-year research program focused on defining the future of cybersecurity for the maritime industry.

Participants in the study will include U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Center of Excellence, led by Stevens Institute of Technology, and the Department of Defense.

“Cybersecurity incursions and threats to the Marine Transportation System (MTS) and port facilities throughout the country are increasing,” says Dr. Hady Salloum, Director of MSC. “This research project will support the missions of the DHS Center of Excellence and the U.S. Coast Guard to address these concerns and vulnerabilities and will identify policies and risk management strategies to bolster the cybersecurity posture of the MTS enterprise.”

Objectives of the MSC-sponsored research project include defining risk-based performance standards better, developing a maritime-specific framework for cyber policy, identifying critical points of cybersecurity failure, developing design requirements for a maritime cyber test-bed and investigating quantitative analysis tools to determine the effectiveness of cyber detection and deterrent strategies.

“Cybersecurity is one of the most pressing and evolving technical and operational challenges impacting the maritime industry today,” says ABS Chief Technology Officer Howard Fireman. “Our goal with this research program is to leverage the skills and expertise of leading thinkers to build a framework the industry can follow to contend with cyber challenges.”

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