Page 165 - Cyber Terrorism and Extremism as Threat to Critical Infrastructure Protection

ANDREJ ANDROJNA, ELEN TWRDY: CYBER THREATS TO MARITIME CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

cations and information about the movement of goods and people to which large quantities of
money-related data are connected and which are susceptible to cyber-attacks (ENISA, 2019).

2.1 Port Connections to the Hinterland

Transport connections with the hinterland are a prerequisite for the existence and develop-
ment of a port. They affect the operation of each port, since without proper connections no
port could provide the necessary services to its hinterland.

No special technology is required to connect ports to road transport; only truck access to the
storage areas where cargo is transhipped is required. This means that in addition to the roads,
a large enough parking space is needed where trucks can wait and complete all the necessary
customs formalities. The entry and exit of trucks to and from a port presents a particular prob-
lem. Everybody must carry out the entry and exit procedures at a certain place, which causes
congestion and therefore heavy traffic.

However, the connection of a port to the railway network does require special infrastructure.
It is important that the piers where the goods are transhipped are equipped with rails, since
the operation time is significantly shorter. The optimal and direct connection of a port railway
infrastructure to the main railway infrastructure in an individual country is essential here, as
the aim is to transport as much cargo as possible to the hinterland by train.

The technical equipment of a port and good organization of work are very important because
the quality of service and the success of the port depend on this. It is therefore necessary to
constantly adapt to the rapid development of transport technologies and new technological
requirements such as digitization and automation. This is especially true for those port opera-
tions which are today dependent on information technology.

2.2 Port Operations

Roberts (2015) states that today cargo handling is the focus of port operations, but its tracking
system is not the only one that is exposed to cyber threats. Today, ports rely as much on com-
puter networks as they do on stevedores. Special network control systems control the loading
and unloading of cargo. All types of transhipping equipment, such as container manipulators
and portal transporters, now use technologies such as optical recognition of port operations
management, including cargo localization, transportation, inspection, and so on. In state-of-the-
art ports (Rotterdam), shipping containers are automatically loaded/unloaded and moved using
GPS (Kramek, 2013). Vehicles that automatically transport cargo from terminals are also highly
dependent on the efficient operation of GPS, which makes the modern port operating system
vulnerable. Potential GPS jammers can make it difficult or even impossible for an entire port to
operate. The closure of a port may result in a revenue loss of several million (including a conse-
quent impact on GDP at both regional and national levels) (Orsoz, 2010; Business Wire, 2015).

3 Regulation at International and European Levels

The EU does not only have interests but also duties in global maritime security. It therefore
actively contributes to safety and security at sea in different parts of the world, making use

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