The company's Marine & Ports division has opened the facility to stress-test cyber threats, so as to help the shipping industry in adjusting itself to the stricter maritime cyber security rules that will enter into force on 1 January 2021.
In line with the guidelines set out by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the new laboratory features hard- and software systems developed to help ship owners and operators combat the maritime industry's growing cyber security risks.
ABB Marine & Ports' new laboratory will offer cyber security support for shipping companies at all stages of digitalization and has the flexibility to meet various levels of cyber security requirements: while some companies may only require a one-off assessment of existing operating technology installations, others might need a long-term approach with continuing support.
New services offered by the ABB Marine & Ports cyber security lab include reference architecture that targets network segmentation and segregation; enforcing security policies to zones and conduits; the ability to monitor network traffic and act on vulnerabilities; the ability to collect and manage security logs for the control system components; the ABB Ability™ Cyber Asset Inventory solution that discovers and records system inventory as well as notifies about vulnerabilities; event monitoring that enables sending alerts to crew members; and the ABB Ability™ Collaborative Operations Centers worldwide.
"Cyber security is not a product but an evolving target which needs constant monitoring, managing and updating," Ahmed Hassan, Head of Cyber Security, ABB Marine & Ports, underlined.
He furthered, "As a single vendor offering operating technology and cyber security, we recognize that managing cyber security is a careful balance between risk, functionality and cost. The principles of cyber security must apply across all maritime stakeholders, from designers and builders, to owners, operators and crew; and from classification societies to universities and research bodies, government departments and insurers."
Photo: ABB Marine & Ports