{mprestriction ids="1,2"}Fleet Secure is a Unified Threat Management (UTM) and monitoring service that aims to detect external attacks via satellite broadband, while also protecting vessel networks from intrusion via infected USB sticks and crew devices connected to the onboard LAN.

The cyber security system will integrate with Fleet Xpress without any additional outlay on hardware required, the company says, and without having any impact on the user’s contracted bandwidth.

“Cybercrime is an inevitable downside of the digital economy, on land or at sea,” said Peter Broadhurst, senior vice president safety and security, Inmarsat Maritime.

“Other maritime cyber security offerings we have seen address only part of the threat or some of the management issues. Inmarsat’s new Fleet Secure service provides an all-inclusive, real-time managed monitoring service, giving ship operators and managers the cybersecurity tools they need to protect their fleets continuously from malicious attack or malware, detect vulnerabilities, and respond to threats.”

The UTM service is powered by Singtel subsidiary Trustwave, a provider of information security solutions, and is available in a choice of three service levels.

The fully-managed ‘Gold’ service includes real-time threat monitoring and analysis, with immediate notifications of high severity level security threats followed up by telephone to escalate threat management.

The ‘Silver’ level includes daily reviews and threat analysis, while the ‘Bronze’ level enables users to self-check the vessel’s network status via an online portal.

The UTM combats viruses and blocks access to unsafe websites at all levels, isolating an infected area of the network to prevent it from spreading to other systems onboard.

“The threats from cyber-attack demand robust technical solutions, network integrity, operational and training support, and raised awareness across the maritime sector,” said Mr Broadhurst.

“Fleet Secure complements the resilience of Inmarsat’s own satellite and ground network enabling consistent cyber security standards to be maintained. Inmarsat will remain at the forefront of providing solutions to this challenge and is supporting a joint working group set up by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) to formulate a robust set of recommendations for cyber security at sea.”{/mprestriction}