More secure ship reporting systems for maritime safety
Maritime control and surveillance depends heavily on ship reporting systems (SRSs), which are vulnerable to attacks by dishonest operators or criminals. With inexpensive technology now available that can be exploited to compromise these systems, it is crucial for the maritime sector to prevent such malicious attacks. Against this backdrop, the EU-funded TRITON (Trusted vessel information from trusted on-board instrumentation) project worked on upgrading on-board equipment in reporting systems. These include vessel monitoring systems and automatic identification systems, as well as long-range identification and tracking. To achieve its aims, the project team developed a more robust and secure global navigation satellite system receiver that is impervious to jamming and spoofing attacks. The team also upgraded very-high-frequency communication between vessels and with land-based stations to ensure better security and communication reliability. TRITON also analysed state-of-the-art reporting systems, evaluated potential risks and studied relevant legislation. It identified and evaluated security threats in order to establish specifications for designing and developing better equipment. After analysing the best ways to detect jamming and mitigate spoofing, the project proposed feasible and viable security solutions to integrate aboard vessels. Towards the end of the project, the team tested new high-tech solutions that can effectively guard against intentional interference and malicious attacks. It designed a prototype that demonstrated the proof of concept, supported by a test campaign at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in Ispra, Italy. The final project results included guidelines to advance policymaking and regulations in light of emerging maritime applications and advantages. With more secure surveillance and safety systems, civilian and commercial maritime control is bound to become much more efficient.
Keywords
Maritime, surveillance, TRITON, ship reporting systems, jamming, spoofing
