1/13 An @issafrica seminar this week examined the overlap between maritime and cybersecurity brought about by ongoing digitalisation in the sector, and what this means for Africa. A few lessons: https://issafrica.org/research/africa-report/maritime-cyber-security-getting-africa-ready

2/13 The number of cyber attacks in the maritime domain has increased steadily over the past couple of years, rising from 50 incidents in 2017, to 310 in 2019.

3/13 Cyberspace is increasingly being used by states to attack each other in a number of domains including maritime.

4/13 Incidents such as the 2017 Maersk attack have shown the devastating impact that a similar attack could have on Africa’s maritime infrastructure and its political and socio-economic stability.

5/13 So it’s concerning that most African states haven’t invested enough to protect against the inevitable event of cyber incidents in the maritime sector.

6/13 An even greater concern is the gap in awareness about this threat and the shortage of African solutions.

7/13 Cyber security must be seen as an important dimension of maritime security in Africa, and become integrated into existing regional maritime frameworks.

8/13 The AU and RECs must help build links between the public and private sectors to encourage the adoption of best practices.

9/13 Ratification of the AU Malabo Convention is particularly important, as cyber security in all domains depends on collective capacity to deal with risks and threats.

10/13 Most states, companies and people don’t think they are in danger. Risk assessments which highlight cyberspace weaknesses in maritime-invested businesses and states are a crucial first step.

11/13 An African centre of excellence on cybersecurity could also help raise awareness, share experiences and build the capacity of African states to deal with cyber threats.

12/13 Full protection against cyber and maritime threats is impossible. Rather, the goal is to minimise those threats as much as possible.

13/13 Cyber security isn’t just about technology. Leadership buy-in, transparency and people’s resilience will be key to preparing for and recovering from future maritime-cyber incidents #ISSMaritime #maritimecyber

Credit: Markus Spikse