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Russia remains an ever-present risk to shipowners.

Astaara’s chief executive is warning the maritime industry that it’s more important than ever for shipowners to tighten up their cyber security.

‘Nobody really knows what the Russians are planning,’ said Mr Dorey .

‘This is obviously an area where risk is increased and therefore all members of the maritime community need to take this opportunity to reduce their vulnerability. It’s not that hackers are deliberately targeting shipping as an industry, but it is a community that tends to have older software, which is simply more vulnerable.’

Astaara’s chief cyber officer Bill Egerton added that while no one knows what the Russians are planning, they are planning something. He added that the prudent response had to be to reduce your attack surface and make yourself as secure as possible.

‘Hackers rely on people being lazy or behind the curve,’ he said.

‘If you think it’s just an IT problem and throw it to the guy with a piece of kit to implement, he’s not going to save you.’

The best defence against cyber attacks remains:

• Identifying and understanding critical systems, and protecting them
• Training employees at ALL levels on minimising risk
• Encouraging and facilitating sound cyber practices
• Managing access carefully with two-factor authentication
• Conducting cyber-attack drills to prepare for actual incidents
• Investing wisely and adequately in cyber security
• Backing up systems and developing recovery plans