Abstract
The maritime industry is undergoing a rapid evolution through the introduction of new
technology and the digitization of existing services. At the same time, the digital attack surface is increasing,
and incidents can lead to severe consequences. This study analyses and gives an overview of 46 maritime cyber
security incidents from the last decade (2010-2020). We have collected information from open publications and
reports, as well as anonymized data from insurance claims. Each incident is linked to a taxonomy of attack
points related to onboard or off-ship systems, and the characteristics have been used to create a Top-10 list of
maritime cyber threats. The results show that the maritime sector typically has incidents with low frequency
and high impact, which makes them hard to predict and prepare for. We also infer that different types of
attackers use a variety of attack points and techniques, hence there is no single solution to this problem.
technology and the digitization of existing services. At the same time, the digital attack surface is increasing,
and incidents can lead to severe consequences. This study analyses and gives an overview of 46 maritime cyber
security incidents from the last decade (2010-2020). We have collected information from open publications and
reports, as well as anonymized data from insurance claims. Each incident is linked to a taxonomy of attack
points related to onboard or off-ship systems, and the characteristics have been used to create a Top-10 list of
maritime cyber threats. The results show that the maritime sector typically has incidents with low frequency
and high impact, which makes them hard to predict and prepare for. We also infer that different types of
attackers use a variety of attack points and techniques, hence there is no single solution to this problem.