Ports need to better protect themselves against cyber-attacks, attendees of the first digital International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) European region meeting were told.
The theme of the meeting was cyber security and digital trust. Jens Meier, IAPH vice president for the European region and CEO of Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), focused on raising cybersecurity awareness. Discussions centred on the need for ports to secure their organisations more effectively to avoid cyberattacks and to ensure a better response against them.
While looking at the actual cybersecurity risk, the targeted attack against the Port of Barcelona in September 2018 was analysed, alongside broader aspects of cyber-resilience such as challenges and possible remediation from the leadership role perspective.
Mr Meier summarised the current trends in cyberattacks and talked about the measures that Hamburg Port Authority has taken. He declared: “If we want to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalisation, we must manage the cyber-risks involved and thus ensure digital trust. Protection starts with people. Regardless of the methods of attack – e-mail, cloud applications, web, or social media – attackers are increasingly taking advantage of the human factor. That’s why the approach to cybersecurity should be centred around people”…
