U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command (CGCYBER) announces the release of the second annual Cyber Trends and Insights in the Marine Environment (CTIME) report. The U.S. Coast Guard has a strong tradition of collaborating with owners and operators in the Marine Environment (ME) to provide relevant information about best practices to secure critical systems. Since December 2020, CGCYBER rapidly developed resources, capabilities, and partnerships to protect the ME from increasing cyber threats. The observations and findings in this report provide Coast Guard units and port partners with relevant information to identify and address cyber risks. Coast Guard Cyber Protection Teams (CPTs) and the Maritime Cyber Readiness Branch (MCRB) identified these findings through technical engagements conducted with ME partners throughout 2023.
“As U.S. Coast Guard missions expand into the cyberspace domain and across the global maritime commons, CGCYBER remains strategically postured to protect maritime critical infrastructure from advanced cyber threat actors.”
– Rear Admiral Jay Vann
Commander, Coast Guard Cyber Command
Four Key Takeaways from the report:
- Many of the same findings/recommendations discussed in the CTIME 2021 and 2022 reports were observed again in 2023.
- Emerging technologies create new attack paths into the ME.
- Ransomware attacks and Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) continue to target the ME.
- Timely information sharing is the most effective way to increase defenses against adversaries.
Detailed summaries and mitigation measures can be found in the report. These measures support a variety of operational areas and technologies. The full report contains insights into: cybersecurity incidents; common findings and mitigation measures; CPT missions; emerging technologies; and threat actor profiles. The full report can be found here.