Capt. Andrew Tucci, chief of the Office of Port and Facility Compliance, is responsible for the Coast Guard’s safety and security policies for our nation’s ports and facilities. October 2014 is the 11th annual National Cyber Security Awareness Month sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. As a part of this effort, the Coast Guard will be hosting a discussion about cybersecurity on Maritime Commons throughout the month of October. We will be sharing tips, resources and useful information to protect against cyber threats and accidents within the maritime community.
Written by Andrew Tucci
Here’s a little background on cybersecurity…In 2009 President Obama called for increased education and dialogue about the topic. He issued the Cyberspace Policy Review, and in turn the Department of Homeland Security created an ongoing cybersecurity awareness campaign titled Stop.Think.Connect. This campaign launched the following year in conjunction with National Cyber Security Awareness Month.
As part of the Coast Guard’s participation in National Cyber Awareness Month please take a look at DHS’s Cybersecurity 101 informational handout. The handout discusses cyber risks, tips and incident response postures. In addition to applying this information to your personal cyber use, please reflect on how this information would apply to your business or marine operations.
Risk assessment is a daily job requirement for mariners and facility operators. Bad weather, malfunctioning equipment, human error and deliberate actions by malicious individuals are all threats we’ve learned to manage. Cyber is an additional factor we must consider in order to run safe, secure operations. Unfortunately, cyber related risks can be particularly challenging to identify and address, since threats can originate from almost anywhere, and vulnerabilities are hidden in software and systems that are rarely evident to the user. Believe it or not, despite the technical nature of cyber, there are many simple ways to reduce your risk. Using strong passwords, limiting the use of USB and other access ports and being cautious about your clicking can help you avoid many cyber security threats. Visit this DHS website to view some very valuable industry resources to keep your business cyber secure.
The Coast Guard is proud to work with the maritime industry to help maintain a safe, secure Marine Transportation System. For more information on cybersecurity, visit the cyber security section of Homeport.
• Respond here on Maritime Commons or tweet your questions or comments to @maritimecommons and use the hashtag #maritimecyber
• We will take comments and questions during the month of October
• One question per tweet or blog post so we can fully address each one individually
• Stay on topic and keep questions to issues involving cyber
• Comments are moderated and those that stray off topic or are unprofessional will not be approved
This blog is not a replacement or substitute for the formal posting of regulations and updates or existing processes for receiving formal feedback of the same. Links provided on this blog will direct the reader to official source documents, such as the Federal Register, Homeport and the Code of Federal Regulations. These documents remain the official source for regulatory information published by the Coast Guard.