This week sees the launch of the International Maritime Cyber Security Organisation, which aims to raise the standard of cyber security risk assessment across the maritime industry.

IMCSO has devised a certification programme for security consultants and a professional register, helping shipping organisations to confidently select experienced personnel.

Additionally, IMCSO will also validate report outputs to ensure consistency with those reports then held on a central database and made accessible to the authorities and third parties that need to determine the risk status of a vessel.

“Cyber security has been mandated by the International Maritime Organisation which requires shipping companies to implement measures to protect their onboard safety management systems and to regularly audit them. However, the change in legislation has given rise to a new maritime cyber security industry that has proven to be variable in its approach to assessing systems and interpreting the standards,” said Campbell Murray, CEO at the IMCSO.

“Ship’s captains often do not have the time to escort cyber auditors for these assessments. This is compounded by a variety of assessment methodologies used to provide risk and technical audit results to port authorities and insurers, leading to needless complexity, overheads and delays. It’s these issues that the IMCSO aims to address, by equipping the security industry to conduct these tests in an appropriate, safe and uniform manner, thus enabling the sector to benchmark compliance.”

The IMCSO Maritime Standard cyber certification scheme offers training across four disciplines. Cyber professionals who take the examination can qualify as an Offensive Security Practitioner or Maritime Cyber Security Specialist in addition to specific fields including Secure by Design and Cloud Security.

An authorised supplier registry will also be made available by the IMCSO and will act as a record of approved cyber security suppliers within the maritime cyber security speciality.

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