Fortinet Korea, a global cybersecurity company, announced on March 11 that it has entered into a strategic partnership with South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries to collaborate in the maritime and onboard operational technology (OT) security market.
The MOU signing ceremony was held at the Fortinet Customer Briefing Center (CBC). Under the MOU, the two companies will work together to develop standardized maritime cybersecurity designs to meet the latest safety regulations of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS).
In response to increasing cyber threats (e.g. hacking attacks, on-board ransomware, etc.), the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) adopted the latest cybersecurity requirements UR E26: “Cyber resilience of ships, Cyber resilience of ships” and UR E27: “Cyber resilience of on-board systems and equipment, Cyber resilience of on-board systems and equipment, and requires shipbuilding contracts signed on July 1, 2024 to comply with the relevant regulations to ensure the safety of ship operations.
UR E26 is designed to ensure that IT/OT equipment is securely integrated into the ship’s network during the design, construction, commissioning and operation of the ship; UR E27 is designed to ensure and enhance the system integrity of third-party equipment suppliers.
Fortinet and Samsung Heavy Industries plan to work together to expand the cybersecurity market and drive the adoption of future leading-edge technologies in the maritime sector, including network separation and security services based on OT protocols, shore-based remote monitoring and autonomous navigation vessels.
Fortinet will support the design of enhanced maritime cybersecurity based on its platform solutions, optimize solutions for operation in maritime environments, provide training on Fortinet products, and will support enhanced OT security designed to ensure that ships built by Samsung Heavy Industries are fully compliant with the latest UR E26 and E27 requirements.
Fortinet said it is committed to further expanding the scope of its OT business and strengthening OT security and digital transformation in the maritime cybersecurity industry.
Samsung Heavy Industries concerned said, “Cyber security is becoming one of the essential elements during the construction and operation of ships as the issue of ship cyber security is becoming more and more serious. Samsung Heavy Industries will work closely with Fortinet to build an innovative system for OT security during the ship construction phase and further focus on enhancing ship cyber resilience.”
