07 November 2013

[071113.EN.BIZ] Software Company Urges Shipping Sector To Thwart Rising Hacker Attacks

ATLANTA's Premiere Global Services Inc (PGI), a producer of virtual meeting software, has warned shipping of the dangers of its growing reliance on computer technology.

Speaking at the Security in Complex Environments conference, held in London, PGI technical chief Sebastian Madden said responses should be intelligence-led and strike a balance between "hoping for the best and opening the cheque book indiscriminately to IT companies".

"To be successful, companies must focus on physical, technical and human protective measures. They need to ask, what will be the quickest way for hackers to achieve their objective and how can I protect myself?" he said.

Costs of up to US$1 billion a day could be incurred should a major US port fall prey to a successful cyber attack based on how much it would cost if a major port stopped working.

Mr Madden referred to a recent case involving a gang using the port of Antwerp to traffic drugs in containers by hacking into company software and having specific containers given to confederate truckers.

The Antwerp gang sent employees malware to break into security databases. When a firewall was set up to prevent this, the criminals broke into the offices and installed devices that allowed them to detect passwords.

Lloyd's List reported last week that Antwerp's port community has since established a cyber-crime taskforce to prevent such attacks in future.

Mr Madden said there were historical points in a company's life when it became vulnerable to such office openings, entering into a joint venture, or during intense negotiations.

A Brookings Institute, published earlier this year, found that cyber disruption at Long Beach or Los Angeles could hit 20 per cent of the US maritime transport.


Source : HKSG.

Tidak ada komentar:

Posting Komentar