Cybersecurity in ports and maritime industry: Reasons for raising awareness on this issue

The port industry is constantly evolving and this evolution brings about change in many different areas. Some of these areas are: operational and infrastructural capabilities, governance models and administrative frameworks, the introduction of new technologies or alliances and business strategies. Nowadays, one of the main drivers of changes in the ports sector is the digital transformation that smart ports are experiencing. The level of integration of different devices, agents and activities, together with an increasing connectivity between different ports has created a new ecosystem in which new risks have appeared. Cybersecurity is one of the challenges of the industry and policymakers should work alongside the private sector to ensure these critical infrastructures are adequately protected while facilitating the full development of new technologies in a sector that has relatively lagged behind others in transitioning to the new '4.0 world'.