MARITIME CYBERSECURITY COLLABORATION
The collaboration between the two parties will focus on enhancing maritime cybersecurity design, meeting the new mandatory standards UR E26 and E27 of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).
Mr. Won-Kyun Cho, Country Manager of Fortinet Korea, representing Fortinet, a global leader in architecting and driving the convergence of networking and security, and Mr. Sung-an Choi, CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, a global leader in the shipbuilding industry, recently announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, marking a strategic joint collaboration between the two companies in the field of maritime cybersecurity.
Samsung Heavy Industries is a company that has accumulated exceptional technological capabilities and comprehensive manufacturing capabilities in the shipbuilding and maritime industries, and possesses world-class design and construction capabilities, which are core factors in the development of maritime industry infrastructure.
In April 2022, the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) mandated the implementation of UR E26 and E27 standards to safeguard maritime vessels against both internal and external cyber threats, and to ensure the safety of maritime operations in the face of escalating cyber threats such as unauthorized access and ransomware attacks on ships.
The UR E26 standard aims to ensure the secure integration of Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT) equipment into network systems during the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of vessels. The UR E27 standard focuses on ensuring that the entire system is secured and enhanced by collaborative efforts from third-party equipment suppliers. These standards will become mandatory for newbuild vessels from July 1, 2024 onwards.
Within the framework of this agreement, in addition to collaborating on enhancing cybersecurity to comply with the new IACS security regulations, both parties also aim to expand the maritime cybersecurity market and broaden the application of advanced security technologies in the maritime sector, such as network segmentation and OT protocol-based security services, remote monitoring and control of vessels from onshore, as well as for autonomous ships.
Fortinet plans to focus on designing specialized cybersecurity solutions for the maritime industry based on its core Fortinet Security Fabric platform, with an emphasis on optimization to ensure that the solutions operate most effectively in the unique environment of the maritime industry. This will support the enhancement of OT security for vessels manufactured by Samsung Heavy Industries, ensuring full compliance with the new mandatory requirements under UR E26 and E27 standards.
Leveraging its extensive OT security capabilities from the enterprise-grade Security Fabric platform, Fortinet can provide solutions and services to protect operational technology across the Purdue model, from sensors to the cloud, ensuring network and asset visibility, network segmentation, endpoint protection, zero-trust authentication and access management, threat defense and detection, as well as Security Operations Center (SOC) and Network Operations Center (NOC) operations. Based on its OT security expertise and its position as a leading global security solutions provider, Fortinet will contribute to ensuring the cybersecurity of new ships and onboard equipment manufactured by Samsung Heavy Industries.
Mr. Jongung Choi, Director of the Autonomous Ship Research Center at Samsung Heavy Industries, stated: “As issues related to network infrastructure on maritime vessels increasingly arise, cybersecurity becomes a critical factor that requires special attention during vessel design and operation. Through close collaboration with Fortinet, a global leader in OT security, Samsung Heavy Industries will confidently solidify its leadership in shipbuilding cybersecurity by establishing an advanced, innovative system for OT security in shipbuilding and enhancing the resilience and control of vessel cybersecurity.”
Mr. Michael Murphy, Director of Operational Technology and Critical Infrastructure Solutions, Fortinet Asia Pacific, added: “Building on this collaborative relationship, we will strengthen comprehensive support between the two parties on a global scale in the maritime cybersecurity sector. Fortinet is committed to actively supporting Samsung Heavy Industries in ensuring the security of its technical platform to comply with the new IACS security regulations, while also pursuing digital innovation and technological breakthroughs to expand business in the maritime security sector.”
Source: Business Forum Magazine
