Maritime cybersecurity: protecting digital seas

Increasing digitisation in the maritime domain and the intensive use of information technologies have become essential for the effective functioning of systems that manage navigation, communications, sensors and weapons throughout the maritime chain. In this context, the issuance and enforcement of international standards and policies are seeking to mitigate the appearance of threats and vulnerabilities that aim to compromise access to functionalities, on-board systems and network integrity. Thus, in this article, we first review the main proposals for guidelines, frameworks and other solutions related to cybersecurity in the maritime environment. Subsequently, we analyse the way in which cybersecurity challenges specific to systems and equipment in this particular environment are addressed, identifying the main cybersecurity weaknesses and needs in the maritime environment that are not completely addressed. Based on this analysis, we then propose the structure of POSEIDON, a comprehensive framework for managing cybersecurity in maritime environments that addresses the identified gaps. This cybersecurity management framework takes into account existing proposals and is complemented by a set of new elements to provide a comprehensive approach to addressing the weaknesses identified.