A Survey on Cyber Security Threats in IoT-Enabled Maritime Industry

TLDR

Technological advances have increased maritime industry benefits, but they also introduce novel cyber risks that threaten operations and safety. This survey examines cyber security threats in IoT‑enabled maritime systems to assess their impact and loss potential. The authors review confidentiality, integrity, and availability risks, analyze IoT device vulnerabilities, and discuss risk assessment methods and mitigation frameworks for modern ships. The study offers guidelines, recommendations, and future strategies for stakeholders to implement preventive and corrective measures against maritime cyber attacks.

Abstract

Impressive technological advancements over the past decades commenced significant advantages in the maritime industry sector and elevated commercial, operational, and financial benefits. However, technological development introduces several novel risks that pose serious and potential threats to the maritime industry and considerably impact the maritime industry. Keeping in view the importance of maritime cyber security, this study presents the cyber security threats to understand their impact and loss scale. It serves as a guideline for the stakeholders to implement effective preventive and corrective strategies. Cyber security risks are discussed concerning maritime security, confidentiality, integrity, and availability, and their impact is analyzed. The proneness of the digital transformation is analyzed regarding the use of internet of things (IoT) devices, modern security frameworks for ships, and sensors and devices used in modern ships. In addition, risk assessment methods are discussed to determine the potential threat and severity along with the cyber risk mitigation schemes and frameworks. Possible recommendations and countermeasures are elaborated to alleviate the impact of cyber security breaches. Finally, recommendations about the future prospects to safeguard the maritime industry from cyber-attacks are discussed, and the necessity of efficient security policies is highlighted.