Cybersecurity at Sea: Protecting Maritime Operations in a Satellite Connected World

Key Takeaways:
 

• Maritime cyber risk is rising quickly as operations become more connected.
• Cyber attacks targeting maritime are increasing in frequency and shifting toward operational disruption.
• Maritime cybersecurity compliance expectations are increasing across regions, adding a significant compliance burden for global operations.
• Maritime environments are a mix of modern connectivity and hard-to-secure legacy equipment
• Basic hygiene gaps remain a major issue—especially default credentials
• Network segmentation is often misunderstood, creating “false isolation.”
• Purpose-built OT security solutions help reduce exposure without disrupting operations

Why Maritime OT Cybersecurity Is a Business-Critical Issue

The maritime sector is critical to global trade, tourism and energy transport. It spans ports and terminals, cargo shipping, cruise liners and offshore operations such as floating production, storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs) and floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs). These operations depend on operational technology (OT) systems that help crews navigate, manage cargo, maintain power and keep critical processes running safely.

As maritime operations become more connected – through satellite links, remote access and data sharing – cyber risks are growing. What once felt like a distant IT concern is now an operational reality that can disrupt schedules, affect safety and create costly downtime.

Maritime cyberattacks are rising fast - and shifting to operational systems

The increase in maritime cyber activity is not subtle. Cyberattacks targeting the global maritime industry surged 103% in 2025, rising from 408 incidents in 2024 to 828 incidents in 2025, according to newly published research by CYTUR Inc.i

More importantly, attackers are moving beyond data theft and increasingly targeting systems that support real-world operations – the systems that help ships move, ports function and offshore production stay online.

Regulators are also raising expectations. Industry requirements such as IMO 2021 and the IACS Unified Requirements E26 and E27 are increasingly viewed as a baseline for doing business, especially for new vessels. In the United States, new Coast Guard cybersecurity rules scheduled to take effect in 2026 require steps such as regular assessments, workforce training, penetration testing and network monitoring. Similar requirements are emerging in Europe through NIS2. While the intent is to better protect the industry, these requirements add a significant compliance burden for organizations operating across jurisdictions.

What OT assets exist on-board vessels and in port operations - and where they can be vulnerable

OT includes the equipment and software that supports real‑world operations – systems used for navigation, cargo management, power, safety and offshore production processes.

These environments often blend newer digital tools with older equipment built for long service life. As connectivity expands, exposure can grow in ways that are often easy to miss. Remote access can be essential for modern operations, but it can also create an entry point if it is not secured. Legacy devices and unsupported software can be difficult to update, making them harder to defend against modern threats.

In short, cyber risk is now tied to operational continuity – and to the systems that keep maritime operations safe, efficient and on schedule.

A common weakness: Default credentials

Some of the most common risks are also among the easiest to address. U.S. Coast Guard assessments found 71% of maritime organizations still used default credentials on OT systems – a basic issue that can create outsized risk. ii

Default usernames and passwords are widely known and often easy to exploit. When they exist on systems connected to navigation, cargo handling or offshore processes, they can turn a basic configuration issue into a potentially high‑consequence operational risk.

Why maritime OT security is uniquely challenging

Maritime operators face constraints that can make cybersecurity harder to execute than it might be in shore‑based environments. Intermittent satellite links can limit consistent monitoring and response. Legacy equipment and unsupported software are common due to long asset life cycles. Harsh conditions, including salt exposure and vibration, require ruggedized equipment and careful maintenance planning. Short patching windows tied to port calls can delay updates and remediation.

These realities demand an OT‑focused approach that fits operational schedules, rather than disrupting them.

A hidden gap: Misunderstood network segmentation

Another recurring issue is false confidence in how networks are separated. In many environments, teams believe operational systems are isolated when they are not. U.S. Coast Guard assessments have shown that more than half of organizations with OT network segments had an incorrect understanding of their OT network segmentation. Many believed their OT networks could not access the internet or could not be reached from the IT network, but assessments often proved those assumptions were wrong.

Consider this example: military personnel installed an unauthorized satellite dish on a U.S. combat ship to gain Wi-Fi access during deployment. This could have been catastrophic if internally systems were exposed on the internet.iii

This matters because “we thought it was isolated” can become a blind spot. If teams do not understand what is truly connected, they may miss the pathways an attacker could use to move from business networks to operational systems.

How Honeywell helps strengthen maritime OT cybersecurity

Cybersecurity improvements do not have to be overly complex. Strong programs start with clarity: understanding what assets are in place, how systems communicate and where the highest risks sit. From there, organizations can take practical steps that reduce exposure without slowing operations.

Honeywell provides purpose‑built OT cybersecurity solutions and managed services designed for the realities of operational environments – including maritime operations where connectivity, maintenance windows and legacy systems can complicate security work. Capabilities for maritime operators include OT network assessments to identify gaps and validate segmentation, secure remote access to support modern operations while reducing exposure, network monitoring to detect if assets are communicating with the internet, and managed security services to help monitor OT environments and strengthen threat detection and response.

With deep domain expertise and a broad OT cybersecurity portfolio, Honeywell can help maritime organizations align cybersecurity investments to operational priorities and evolving requirements.

Take the next step

Maritime operations are becoming more connected, and attackers are paying attention. The sharp rise in incidents, combined with persistent issues like default credentials and misunderstood network separation, shows why OT cybersecurity needs sustained focus.

Talk to Honeywell cybersecurity experts about enhancing your OT cybersecurity program.