Inmarsat has released a new report covering the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) new cyber security obligations and their implications for the yachting market. The report aims to support compliance as owners, managers and captains work to protect superyachts from a variety of cyber threats. Published by the Inmarsat Research Programme, Cyber Security requirements for IMO 2021 offers insights into Inmarsat’s cyber security experience and examples of real cyberattacks on vessels, as well as providing stakeholders with a guide to the criteria for compliance.

“As the superyacht fleet heads towards a new regime on cyber security, this is a significant publication for anyone investigating the fast-evolving threats facing yachts at sea,” comments Peter Broadhurst, senior vice president, Safety, Security, Yachting and Passenger, Inmarsat Maritime. “Anyone wanting to know what the new IMO rules mean and, in Fleet Secure Endpoint, the viable solutions already available to support towards compliance can’t afford to miss Cyber Security requirements for IMO 2021.”

By IMO resolution, superyacht Safety Management Systems must be documented as including cyber risk management under the International Safety Management Code no later than the first annual audit after 1 January 2021.

The 40-page document cites the 2020 Inmarsat Superyacht Connectivity Report, which highlights that 40 per cent of superyacht professionals surveyed still do not know the difference between anti-virus software and network endpoint security. It also highlights the way threats continue to adapt and evolve, reporting a fourfold increase in cyber attacks on maritime targets that coincides with the industry’s move to home-based working through the Covid-19 pandemic.

To aid the industry in understanding the new cyber security regime, the report summarises industry exposure to date, identifies the vessel-specific vulnerabilities that have driven regulators to act and explores the precedents from outside and inside the maritime sector for IMO rule development. The context provides a preamble to a concise guide to IMO 2021 compliance and the steps required to identify, protect against, detect, respond to, recover from and report on cyber attacks aimed at superyachts.

Click here to download Cyber Security requirements for IMO 2021.

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