Critical Infrastructure Security

US port, terminal cybersecurity remains concern for leaders

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SecurityWeek reports that while more than 90% U.S. ports and terminals industry executives, directors, security and compliance officers, and general counsel noted being very confident about their organizations' overall cybersecurity posture and preparedness against attacks, 55% said that breach attempts were detected in their environment, while 45% reported experiencing breaches during the past 12 months. Thirty-six percent of respondents said that data breaches involved supervisory control and data acquisition systems, with SCADA cited as the leading cybersecurity vulnerability in the ports and terminals sector, according to a Jones Walker report. Meanwhile, most intrusions on port and terminal systems were attributed to remote desktop protocol attacks, followed by malware, hacking, social engineering, ransomware, and business email compromise. The findings also showed that nearly two-thirds noted that system breaches were performed by solo threat actors, compared with 14% who cited state-sponsored hackers. "As volume and traffic to these facilities have seen exponential growth, maritime ports and terminals have also undergone significant changes in digitalization and automation of terminal operating and industrial control systems (ICS). Facilities are increasingly using automated operational technology (OT) systems to augment information technology (IT) and to communicate data, operate equipment, track cargo and containers, and manage commercial operations," said Jones Walker.

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