Be Cyber Aware at Sea launches new video to raise awareness of cybercrime in the maritime industry
12th July 2017 – Award-winning global maritime cyber security awareness campaign, Be Cyber Aware at Sea, has collaborated with Fidra Films to launch a new film which aims to highlight the vital and increasing importance of cyber security across the maritime industry. NSSLGlobal, a global maritime satellite communications provider, has co-funded the film in partnership with Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), The Standard Club and Teekay Shipping.
Designed not only for seafarers but also across the maritime industry, the freely-available film uses real-life case studies to highlight how easy it is for cybercriminals to target individual employees, who are often the weakest link in the security chain. A shocking 99% of cyber-attacks target people rather than IT infrastructure. 
The film’s content has been deliberately created to be both educational and entertaining and easily shared via social media to help the message spread wider throughout the industry. It features multiple tips to help employees avoid being an easy target for cybercriminals. Andrea Cross, Partnerships Development Executive, at the Sailors’ Society has praised the film’s approach, saying: “I really like the film, it’s impactful, engaging and easy to understand, great job!”
Many people still fail to spot the signs of simple phishing emails and accidentally give away personal and company information to hackers via email or social media postings. Even something as simple as charging a smartphone to the USB socket on the ECDIS terminal could allow hackers to gain access to a vessels IT network, potentially affecting the vessel’s ability to safely navigate.
Sally-Anne Ray, CEO, NSSLGlobal commented: “The launch of this film is extremely timely. It follows the recent reports of the global Petya ransomware cyber-attack, which hit global shipping giant Maersk, to cause one of the biggest ever disruptions to global shipping. No-one is immune from the cyber threat and this film is an important initiative to not only raise awareness of the risks, but to help protect the industry from attack.”
Chris Young, Executive Producer at Fidra Films commented: “It is great to see the maritime industry coming together to tackle cyber security. All the feedback so far has been very positive and it is our hope that the film reaches as wide an audience as possible.”
Andrew Cassels, Director, OCIMF remarked: “This film starts to tackle the most vulnerable element of cyber protection, the human element. Educating our mariners is the first line of defence; they all work in social media with ease but need to understand how innocent actions can cause harm to wider networks and systems. Wide distribution of this film and the supporting material will start to prepare industry for the cyber challenges ahead.”
Carmen Plesch, Director IT, Teekay Shipping adds: “The film is fast paced and packed with practical information. By shooting it in the environment our seafarers work and live for weeks at a time, the film resonates deeply with this audience and it emphasizes the critical role everybody – ship and shore – has to play in protecting our informational assets and keep all of us safe.”
Capt Yves Vandenborn, Director of Loss Prevention at The Standard Club commented: “We are proud to have worked together with Chris and the other partners on the production of this cyber awareness video. Given the potential catastrophic consequences, we cannot stress enough the importance for ship owners and operators to take adequate measures to prevent cyber-attacks. We trust this video will be well received by the industry and will aid in raising awareness amongst seafarers and shore staff alike.”
Multiple partners have come together to help Fidra develop the content of this vital educational initiative, including JWC International, the CSOA, the City of Glasgow College and Samskip. The funding model for the development and production of this resource means that it will be made freely available to the industry.
The video is available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfEiMj7wAi4&feature=youtu.be
Full licensing details are available here: http://www.fidrafilms.com/licensing
The BeCyberAwareAtSea campaign website is here: https://www.becyberawareatsea.com/