Hello to everyone at sea and ashore! I've been sailing for many years, and I can tell you that the world of shipping is changing right before our eyes. If the main dangers used to be storms and reefs, now they've been joined by invisible enemies – cyber threats. Every year, the topic of cybersecurity at sea becomes more relevant, and I want to share my personal experience of why it's not just a buzzword, but our collective necessity.

Internet on Board: A Blessing or a New Vulnerability?

Remember how it used to be: a satellite phone for a few minutes, and that only for urgent needs. Now, many ships have Wi-Fi, internet access, even if it's not always fast. You can make video calls home, check the news, or browse social media. This is, of course, a huge blessing for the crew's morale. But with this blessing comes a new headache.

I've seen it many times: someone downloading movies from torrents, visiting suspicious websites, clicking on links in emails that clearly look like spam. We, sailors, aren't always IT security specialists, and it's easy for us to fall victim. There have been cases where viruses got onto the ship because of such actions. Yes, we think: "So what? It's not my personal computer, it's a work one." But that's precisely the problem!

When Personal Becomes a Threat to the Entire Ship

On modern vessels, all systems are interconnected. Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS), navigation equipment, engine control systems, communications, cargo operations – all of it is now digital. If a virus penetrates one system through a regular crew computer connected to the general network (even if it's supposedly "for personal use"), it can spread to critical systems.

On one of our voyages, we encountered a situation where the onboard network became very slow, and strange windows started appearing on the computers. It turned out someone had plugged in their personal USB stick, which had a virus on it. Although it didn't lead to a catastrophe, it created huge problems for our operations, slowed down data transfer, and caused serious concern for the captain. We spent a lot of time finding and eliminating the threat, and we could have lost control over part of the systems altogether.

Why Is This Serious for Us, Sailors?

1. Safety of the vessel and crew: Hacking navigation systems can lead to collisions or groundings. Failure of engine control systems can lead to loss of propulsion in a dangerous area. These are direct threats to our lives.
2. Reputation and responsibility: If a cyberattack happens due to our fault, it can severely damage the company's reputation, and for an individual sailor, it could result in disciplinary action or even loss of their job.
3. Financial losses: For shipowners, this means huge losses – downtime, repairs, fines, lost cargo.

What I've Learned and What Needs To Be Done

My experience has taught me a few important things:

1. Be vigilant: Think before you click on a suspicious link, open an unknown attachment, or plug in an unfamiliar USB stick.
2. Follow company rules: Every shipping company has its cybersecurity protocols. You shouldn't ignore them or consider them useless. They're written for a reason.
3. Use a separate channel for personal needs: If possible, use mobile internet via your phone for personal matters, rather than the onboard Wi-Fi that's connected to work networks.
4. Report anything suspicious: If something seems off, tell the chief mate or the captain. It's better to be safe than sorry and deal with the consequences later.
5. Training: Companies should conduct regular cybersecurity training for the entire crew. We need to understand the risks and know how to act.

Cybersecurity at sea isn't just a task for the IT department ashore. It's our shared responsibility. Each of us, from deckhand to captain, is part of the protective barrier. The more careful and responsible we are about this issue, the safer our seas and our voyages will be. Take care of yourselves and your systems!