Leading Japanese class society recognises ability to proactively detect threats and help shipowners protect against attacks on IT and OT networks

Marlink, the smart network company, has received the Innovation Endorsement certificate from Japanese class society ClassNK for its CyberGuard Threat Detection service.

The ClassNK Products & Solutions Innovation Endorsement is designed to certify that products and solutions using advanced digital technologies perform as stated by the supplier. Marlink demonstrated the operation of the service during a functional confirmation test in Tokyo.

The programme aims to accelerate the adoption of superior innovative products and solutions among the shipping industry. The certificate reflects ClassNK’s expertise in understanding the suitability of digital solutions for Japanese and international shipowners. It applies to the threat detection engine, customer portal, threat alert notifications and integrated XChange platform countermeasures.

Marlink’s CyberGuard service inspects network traffic received from and sent by a vessel and correlates these event logs with multiple threat intelligence databases. On average, the system detects 30 cyber security threats per month on every vessel, affecting both IT and OT networks which means one threat per day per vessel.

Through the intuitive CyberGuard Portal, customers can view any detected cyber security threats and respond immediately by applying countermeasures to the onboard XChange platform. In addition, Marlink’s Security Operations Centre performs threat confirmation and remediation support.

Shipping companies are required to demonstrate a baseline of cyber preparation but interest is growing among Asian operators for a system that can provide greater cyber awareness and transparency to managers and crew. In March 2022, the service reported a 60% increase in threats to connected OT applications and a 45% increase in threats affecting the administrative network for internet browsing, compared to one year ago.

“Awareness of the risks from cyber attacks is growing in the maritime industry and many vessel operators are not aware of vulnerabilities and threats that are already affecting their operations every day,” said Nicolas Furgé, President, Digital, Marlink. “ClassNK has recognised that CyberGuard can play a key role in helping its shipowners detect and understand threats and take appropriate remediation action.”

“ClassNK is focussed on ensuring that the digital tools available to shipping companies perform as expected and provide the level of functionality that the market requires,” said a ClassNK spokesperson. “I hope that our third-party verification built on our rigorous testing procedures will help the industry’s decision-making to adopt the innovative software with confidence.”