Mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat has released the Cyber Security requirements for IMO 2021 report, covering new cyber security regulations from the International Maritime Organization entering into force next year and their implications for cruise and ferry companies.

Under the new resolution, passenger ship safety management systems must be documented as including cyber risk management under the International Safety Management Code no later than the first annual audit after 1 January 2021.

“As the passenger ship fleet heads towards a new regime on cyber security, this is a significant publication for anyone investigating the fast-evolving threats facing cruise vessels and ferries at sea,” said Peter Broadhurst, senior vice president of safety, security, yachting and passenger at Inmarsat Maritime. “Anyone wanting to know what the new IMO rules mean and, in Fleet Secure Endpoint, the viable solutions already available to support towards compliance can’t afford to miss Cyber Security requirements for IMO 2021.”

The document highlights the changing threats to the maritime industry, with four times as many cyberattacks on maritime targets occurring since the move to home-based working due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The report also identifies the vessel-specific vulnerabilities that prompted the regulation and covers precedents for the rule development, as well as clarifying the differences between antivirus software and network endpoint security.

Inmarsat also provides guidance on Fleet Secure Endpoint, its cyber security protection, monitoring and reporting tool. The tool provides protection against phishing, spyware, botnets and other threats, and updates system status using software on the end-user’s machine.