The word “pirate” may conjure up the image of humans physically taking over a vessel, but what if instead a ship was simply hacked from afar? That’s a question on the mind of Norwegian researchers, who point out that unfortunately, the international shipping world isn’t exactly known for its quick adoption of cutting-edge tech.
“The maritime industry has a history of being quite reactive and slow, so it is no surprise that we are lacking behind in the matter of cybersecurity as well,” says Marie Haugli-Sandvik.
Haugli-Sandvik, who works within the Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering at Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), explains via email to PopSci that this incremental pace is what led her and fellow PhD candidate, Erlend Erstad, to create what is likely the world’s first “maritime digital security” course. According to a report this week from NTNU, the course’s students recently spent two months examining and assessing current oceanic digital threats, then practiced handling a ship cyberattack scenario focusing on risk management and resilience building.
“We see that shipping companies are investing…
