South Korea Holds Joint Maritime Cybersecurity Drill with Shipping Firms
South Korea has held a joint maritime cybersecurity response drill at BEXCO, the exhibition centre in Busan, the country’s main port city on its south-east coast. The exercise, held on 3 November 2026 and led by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA), tested how shipping companies and authorities detect, respond to and recover from cyberattacks.
Five ship-operating and ship-management companies took part: HMM Ocean Service, POS SM, Hyundai LNG Shipping, KLNG and G-Marine Service. They were joined by the Korea Coast Guard, the Korea Shipowners’ Association and the Korea Ship Managers’ Industry Association.
From the CrewMirror Blog
The scenario was built on real threats: fake emails pretending to come from port authorities, a compromised software update spread through an infected supplier’s computer, and malware that infected onboard computers and communication servers, cutting ship-shore links. The drill ran in four stages: threat detection and information sharing; malware response and recovery; response to supply-chain attacks, including AI-based attack tools; and coordinated incident management with shared threat intelligence.
KISA noted that satellite communications and remote support make ships more connected, and therefore more exposed. A weakness at one company can affect others, so quick information sharing is essential. The agency warned that cyber incidents can disrupt vessel operations and logistics, not just onboard IT. It will share lessons learned with the participants and help them improve their incident response procedures.
CrewMirror Takeaway
Cyberattacks often reach a ship through ordinary emails, USB drives and software updates. Crews who report suspicious messages early and follow company cyber procedures play a direct part in protecting navigation and communication systems on board.
