Ports vulnerable to cyber attacks as well

It should come as scant surprise that legislation to make our seaports safer is surfacing again in California - home to two of the nation’s largest ocean cargo gateways. As noted in yesterday’s news section, U.S. Representative Janice Hahn (D-CA) is calling for renewed vigilance on container scanning.

But there’s a “virtual” risk lurking out there as well.

Federal officials should forge a comprehensive strategy to defend the nation’s ports from cyber attacks, Port of Long Beach Director of Security Services Randy Parsons told a U.S. House of Representatives committee in testimony earlier this month.

Parsons, appearing before the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee of the Homeland Security Committee, said the maritime sector must adapt to a new threat environment that could include cyber events impacting key cogs in the nation’s economy.

“Protecting U.S. ports must be a core capability of our nation,” Parsons said. “Focusing on the development of strategic policies and guidelines is sorely needed. A roadmap that provides guidance but flexibility for industry decisions makes sense and will strengthen our national cyber security posture.”