Atlantic offshore protects against Cyber threats with Fleet secure endpoint
North Sea operator Atlantic Offshore has put its levels of cyber resilience substantially ahead of approaching International Maritime Organization requirements for ship owners, after adopting Fleet Secure Endpoint from Inmarsat to protect against ongoing cyber threats.
The state-of-the-art cybersecurity solution addresses digitalisation, crew welfare needs, and the demand for greater vessel efficiency—all drivers for reviewing and upgrading ship connectivity needs, says Ray Wareberg, CEO, Atlantic Offshore. Meeting next year's IMO cybersecurity rules in the same step was an opportunity too good to miss.
"Fleet Secure Endpoint was installed to coincide with Fleet Xpress bandwidth upgrades across its fleet of offshore support vessels. All vessels now use Fleet Xpress to achieve maximum uplink and download speeds of 4MB/2MBps, with the Ka-band/L-band solution delivering committed information rates of 256kbps."
The shift defends ship networks at their vulnerable endpoints, which can be anything from a business-critical PC to a crew laptop. The multi-layered protection solution scans the network and eliminates malicious encryption, blocks forbidden sites, shuts down malicious connections, and runs anti-spyware/anti-phishing software. It only allows trusted and verified devices and entry points to interact with the network.
Malware introduced by infected USBs also prompts intervention. Fleet Secure Endpoint provides a guardian portal interface and is a cost-effective cybersecurity product for the maritime market that helps support safety management systems by 1 January 2021.
“We are seeing data usage on board ship doubling roughly every eight months,” notes Eric Griffin, Vice President, Offshore & Fishing, Inmarsat Maritime. “In parallel, companies are developing a competitive edge by upgrading connectivity to anticipate crew welfare and vessel operational needs.”
The company has an unrivalled track record in operating the world’s most reliable global mobile satellite telecommunications networks, sustaining business and mission-critical safety and operational requirements for more than 40 years.
Fleet Secure Endpoint gives the owner a clear overview of the security status of the vessel in a format that is fully compliant with IMO 2021. Forward-looking companies such as Atlantic Offshore recognize that the threat from terminals is also rising, which is why they chose Inmarsat as a secure connectivity provider across all mobile connection touch points, including endpoints.
Available for use with Fleet Xpress, FleetBroadband, and Fleet One, Fleet Secure Endpoint covers 10 of the 20 detection, reporting, and recovery criteria defined by the SANS Institute as essential for cybersecurity without requiring hardware adjustments.
Shipowners and managers must incorporate cyber risk management into their safety management systems. Inmarsat supports this transition not only with endpoint protection but also with strong direct response capabilities, enabling end-to-end customer services.
Inmarsat is the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications. It owns and operates the world's most diverse global portfolio of mobile telecommunications satellite networks and holds a multi-layered global spectrum partnership, covering L-band, Ka-band, and S-band. Its long-established global distribution network includes the world’s leading channel partners and manufacturing networks of technology partners. Inmarsat operates across a diversified portfolio of sectors and holds leading positions in the Maritime, Government, Aviation, and Enterprise satcoms markets, consistently acting as a trusted, responsive, and high-quality partner around the globe.
This article was originally published on Marine & Industrial Report newspaper Vol 42 No.4 Issue last August 31, 2020.
