(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command (CGCYBER) has released its annual Cyber Trends and Insights in the Marine Environment report, with many of the findings mirroring previous studies.
Four key takeaways from the new report:
• Many of the same findings and recommendations discussed in the 2021 and 2022 reports were noted again in 2023.
• Emerging technologies create new attack paths into the marine environment.
• Ransomware attacks and advanced persistent threats (APTs) continue to target the marine environment.
• Timely information sharing is the most effective way to increase defenses against adversaries.
The Coast Guard has a strong tradition of collaborating with owners and operators in the marine environment to provide relevant information about best practices to secure critical systems. Since December 2020, CGCYBER rapidly developed resources, capabilities and partnerships to protect the marine environment from increasing cyberthreats.
The observations and findings in the new report provide Coast Guard units and port partners with relevant information to identify and address cyber-risks. Coast Guard cyber protection teams (CPTs) and the Maritime Cyber Readiness Branch identified these findings through technical engagements conducted with marine environment partners throughout 2023.
“As U.S. Coast Guard missions expand into the cyberspace domain and across the global maritime commons, CGCYBER remains strategically postured to protect maritime critical infrastructure from advanced cyber threat actors,” said Rear Adm. Jay Vann, commander, Coast Guard Cyber Command.
Detailed summaries and mitigation measures can be found in the report. These measures support a variety of operational areas and technologies. The full report contains insights into cybersecurity incidents; common findings and mitigation measures; CPT missions; emerging technologies; and threat actor profiles.
The full report can be found here.
– Coast Guard Maritime Commons
