On October 5, the US Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) reached a $3 million partnership agreement with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in order to “research and develop tools and practices that will strengthen the cybersecurity of the nation’s energy sector and maritime transportation system.”
According to CESER, 40% of all maritime traffic is comprised of energy products, which highlights the importance of addressing cybersecurity risks at seaports and in maritime transportation to safeguard US energy security. In the past several years, the incidence of cyber-intrusions, malware attacks and other dangerous lapses in cybersecurity impacting the maritime and energy sectors has increased tremendously across the globe.