Port authorities and staff are increasingly in the sight of cyber criminals aiming to find vulnerabilities.

Cyber criminals have already struck. When Maersk Line found itself infected with the NotPetya ransomware virus in 2017, it took ten days to rebuild its network of 4000 servers and 45,000 PCs. The outage cost about US$300 million.

Just this February, Australian 3PL Toll Group’s IT platform was temporarily crippled by a ransomware attack. Other instances include attempts to steal cargo from the terminal or disrupt terminal systems unless a ransom is paid, or to commandeer ships in port waters, to block approaches or berths, for political purposes.