Not just Iranian ships: Cyber ​​threatens the naval arena - and the pocket of the Israeli consumer Israel today

The exposure of the unusual satellite images from the last months of four Iranian military ships in the Red Sea, which indicates Iran's establishment in the naval arena near Israel, is just the tip of the iceberg in the world naval war that has been going on in recent years.

threat

Another major on the ports, shipping companies and major logistics companies operating in this arena is cyber attacks.

This is a threat that has grown significantly in recent years and worries governments around the world, including Jerusalem and Washington.

The maritime industry, which is a key part of the supply chain of any product, is highly dependent on computer and control systems.

More than 90% of all world trade passes by sea, and beyond the clear and immediate security and political significance of a cyber attack on seaports or shipping companies, such an attack will also have far-reaching economic consequences that could affect the Israeli consumer's pocket.

Iranian vessels in the Red Sea,

In recent years, it has become apparent that supply chains in many organizations and companies have been a weakness in terms of the importance of cyber protection, both in Israel and abroad. Supply chain means a coordinated system of organizations, people, activities, information and resources As a matter of fact, every organization has a responsibility to make sure that it manages the cyber risks to which it is exposed by the service providers (suppliers), even in seaports.

Israel has unique knowledge

Ram Levy, CEO and founder of Confides, who last week participated in a panel on the protection and management of cyber crises in ports and shipping companies as part of Tel Aviv University Cyber ​​Week and the National Cyber ​​System, explains that shipping and logistics companies in ports need to act to maintain the resilience of the system. -IT (Information Technology) of the company.

Neglecting the system could lead to a chain reaction, in which the company's computer systems would be hacked - something that would delay and even stop the supply chain.

Finally, the main victim in the proceeding will be the Israeli consumer, who will pay for the financial damage caused to the cyber-attack companies.

According to Levy, an excellent example of this can be seen in the attack on the shipping company Maersk in July 2017. This is a company that represents about 15% of all container trade worldwide, which suffered massive disruptions following the attack.

Thus, for example, port operations have been halted at a number of Maersk-controlled terminals in the United States, India, Spain, the Netherlands and other countries.

Maersk containers in 76 ports were not received or delivered, the company's IT system was shut down and the direct damage from the cyber attack was around $ 300 million.

Launching Iranian satellites,

The solution lies in cyber protection specifically tailored to shipping and port companies.

The world is beginning to understand that beyond the large number of start-ups in the field of cyber, Israel has unique knowledge on the subject of national cyber protection and also on the subject of protecting specific sectors and readiness to manage cyber crises in them.

An example of protection for the shipping and ports sector is the company that established Confides in 2020 together with the shipping company "Zim".

This is a cyber protection and cyber crisis management consulting firm called "CyberStar", which belongs to the Zim Group, works in partnership with Confides and provides customized solutions in the areas of cyber protection.

According to the company's CEO Ronen Maroz, "It is important to understand that an attack on a shipping company, port or logistics company has great significance beyond the attacked company, as it has a significant impact on all business partners, with an emphasis on many importers and exporters who may find themselves with goods Delayed.

This is especially problematic when it comes to urgent or sensitive cargo - for example, refrigerated or dangerous cargo that gets stuck.

A supply chain that is disrupted or paralyzed for days and even weeks can create immense damage.

The countries of the world are ready

"Last year, for example, four ports in South Africa were attacked simultaneously and shut down for almost two weeks. These are ports with a volume twice as large as the ports of Haifa and Ashdod combined - and the economic damage was enormous. Imagine a similar scenario here in Israel."

In this context, it is also possible to mention the cyber attack attributed to Israel on the port of Bender Abbas - one of the largest ports in Iran - which was shut down as a result of the operation for a long time.

"Today we work with shipping companies, with logistics companies some of the largest in the world with a global deployment and tens of thousands of employees, and of course with companies that operate ports around the world," says Maroz.

"Earlier this year we conducted the first comprehensive cyber exercise ever in an American port, which also included dealing with aspects of operation and business continuity" (referring to the ability of an organization or company to continue to function during an extreme crisis, T.M.).

"The shipping and logistics industry has experienced an unprecedented rise in cyber attacks in recent years," Levy emphasizes.

"The countries of the world understand this and the White House already has, for example, a cyber defense strategy for the maritime sector. Israel's national cyber system has already defined the issue of shipping and logistics as an area in which the country is going to invest and generate expertise. To the highest political levels. "

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