Inmarsat combats rising maritime cybercrime with fleet secure UTM
(Posted on 27/04/22)
Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, has launched Fleet Secure Unified Threat Management (UTM), as a standard option on Inmarsat’s award-winning Fleet Xpress service, protecting vessel networks against cyberattacks.
Fleet Secure UTM completes a portfolio of Inmarsat cyber security solutions for ship owners, which includes Fleet Secure Endpoint and Fleet Secure Cyber Awareness Training. Developed in partnership with maritime Cyber Security specialist Port-IT, the resilience of Fleet Secure UTM protection is based on its consolidation of multiple network security tools in a single application.
With cyberattacks on global businesses increasing by 40% in 2021*, Inmarsat reports a tripling in data used by the average commercial ship since the onset of Covid-19. The growth reflects extra demand for crew connectivity but also increasing use of data to monitor vessel performance, optimize decision-making and support predictive maintenance.
The result is a growing ship network ‘surface area’ for attacks that offers a route to onboard control systems. Cyber threats are also fast-evolving, as cybercriminals develop malicious codes to probe for new weaknesses. Successful attacks threaten vessel safety, disrupt services and expose sensitive information. They also bring the costs of extortion, recovery, and higher insurance.
Depending on user preferences, Fleet Secure UTM capabilities can include gateway anti-virus software, intrusion detection, and prevention, web-content filtering, and application control. However, all Fleet Secure UTM users get asset management, alerting, and reporting capability that fully aligns with International Maritime Organization 2021 compliance on cyber security risk management.
“The benefits of big data and artificial intelligence for ship efficiency, safety, and sustainability are clear, while Covid-19 has highlighted crew connectivity as a crucial issue for our industry,” said Ben Palmer, President, Inmarsat Maritime. “Safeguarding these gains demands cyber awareness and training, endpoint protection, and the layered defences of network protection. With Fleet Secure UTM, Inmarsat is now able to meet all of these requirements as a single vendor.”
Fleet Secure UTM features its own security portal, allowing customers to monitor traffic in all connected networks to protect operational technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT) and crew communications, among others, and mitigate risks, supported by a security operation centre (SOC) which monitors devices and the service itself year-round, 24/7. Issues not directly relating to Fleet Xpress are escalated to Port-IT for further action. A team of Port-IT ethical hackers also continuously probes networks for vulnerabilities.
‘Bronze’, ‘silver’, and ‘gold’ versions of Fleet UTM are available, and the ‘gold’ user can access advanced AI-based scanning for malicious codes beyond known signatures, to block ‘zero day’ attacks. The threat hunting function in the gold package adds an additional layer of cyber threat intelligence to predict future risks and establish a relevant elimination plan.
Latest News
Class societies collaborate to standardise emissions data fields at IMO
(Posted on 03/04/25)The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has confirmed the expansion of the data reference model... Read more
SEA-CARE looks for more holistic understanding of maritime safety
(Posted on 03/04/25)The SEA-CARE working group concluded its third session in February by confirming commitments to share... Read more
Torvald Klaveness consolidates groupwide digital solutions
(Posted on 31/03/25)Torvald Klaveness has announced the decision to consolidate all digital services under Klaveness Digital... Read more
INTERCARGO reaffirms call for simplicity as IMO climate talks intensify
(Posted on 31/03/25)The International Association of Dry Cargo Shipowners (INTERCARGO) has renewed its call for straightforward... Read more
The Swedish Club reports strong 2024 results
(Posted on 31/03/25)The Swedish Club has delivered strong results for 2024, posting a USD 34 million profit and significantly... Read more
NORDEN adds two newbuilding Capesize leases with purchase options
(Posted on 27/03/25)In line with NORDEN’s positive long-term outlook for Capesize freight rates, the company have... Read more
Enhanced data collection for Western Bulk
(Posted on 27/03/25)OrbitMI, a global provider of maritime software and data products, has expanded its workflow capabilities... Read more
ClassNK appoints new President & CEO and Executive Vice President
(Posted on 27/03/25)Current ClassNK Senior Vice President Hayato Suga has been appointed as President & CEO as well... Read more
ASL sees continued surge in demand for Cape Size carriers
(Posted on 19/03/25)The surge in demand for Cape Size bulk carriers will continue for another six weeks, driven on by increased... Read more
Partnership to enhance compliance and emissions management
(Posted on 18/03/25)OrbitMI, a leading provider of maritime SaaS software, has announced that Istanbul-based Statu Shipping... Read more
