Fortinet strengthens cybersecurity in Samsung Heavy Industries and maritime operations.

Global cybersecurity company Fortinet announced on the 11th that it has signed a strategic partnership with marine and shipbuilding company Samsung Heavy Industries for mutual cooperation in the marine and ship OT (Operation Technology) security market. The MOU signing ceremony, held at the Fortinet Customer Briefing Center (CBC), was attended by officials from both companies, including Fortinet Korea CEO Won-Kyun Cho, Fortinet Asia Pacific OT Division Head Michael Murphy, and Samsung Heavy Industries Center Director Jong-Woong Choi and Group Director Kyung-Won Bae.

Through this agreement, the two companies plan to jointly collaborate on an enhanced standard maritime cybersecurity design that complies with the new security regulations of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). It also expands the base of the cybersecurity market and expands the application of future leading technologies in the marine sector, such as network separation and OT protocol-based security services, land-based remote monitoring and control, and autonomous ships.

In April 2022, the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) adopted 'UR E26' and 'E27' to protect ships from internal and external cyber threats and ensure the safety of ship operation due to the increasing cyber threats such as hacking and ransomware against ships.

UR E26 aims to safely integrate IT/OT equipment into a ship’s network during the ship’s design, construction, commissioning and operation period, while UR E27 aims to help third-party equipment suppliers secure and strengthen system integrity. It will be mandatory for new ships whose construction contracts are signed after July 1, 2024.

Fortinet plans to support enhanced maritime cybersecurity design based on its platform solutions, optimization of solutions for operation in maritime environments, and training on Fortinet products. Additionally, Samsung Heavy Industries will support the strengthening of OT security to ensure that ships built by the company fully meet the new UR E26 and E27 requirements.

The Fortinet OT Security Platform is an extension of the Enterprise Security Fabric, providing solutions and services for securing asset and network visibility, network segmentation, endpoint protection, authentication and authorization management for zero trust access, threat detection and prevention technologies, and SOC/NOC security operations across the entire Purdue model from sensors to the cloud.

Fortinet said, “Based on its OT security expertise and global leadership, it will ensure the cyber resilience of new ships and contribute to the cyber security of the shipboard systems and equipment being built by Samsung Heavy Industries.”

Samsung Heavy Industries’ Center Director Choi Woong-young said, “As cybersecurity issues for ships increase, cybersecurity is becoming an essential element of shipbuilding and operation. Samsung Heavy Industries will work closely with Fortinet, a global leader in security, to establish an innovative system for OT security during shipbuilding and focus more on enhancing the cyber resilience of ships.”

Michael Murphy, President of OT, Fortinet Asia Pacific, said, “Through this collaboration, we will strengthen our global support system and cooperation in the maritime/ship cybersecurity sector, and actively support Samsung Heavy Industries to secure a technical foundation for compliance with the new security regulations of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). In addition, Fortinet will continue to expand the scope of its OT business and do its best to strengthen OT security and digital innovation for the maritime cybersecurity industry.”