Oslo, 25 September 2024: DNV, the independent assurance and risk management provider, has acquired CyberOwl, a global expert in cyber risk monitoring and threat management onboard maritime vessels. The two companies have joined forces to strengthen the cyber defences of the shipping industry by forming one of the world’s largest specialists in maritime systems cyber security.
The partnership comes at a time when the sector must comply with a wealth of new cyber security regulation and invest in incident detection, response and recovery as increasing implementation of digitally connected systems onboard vessels create new vulnerabilities. A typical fleet of 30 cargo vessels now experiences an average of 80 cyber incidents a year [1].
“Digital technologies must continue to scale for a safer, more efficient and greener maritime industry. But the benefits of digitalization and automation cannot be realized without a robust approach to cyber security. That’s why DNV has placed cyber security at the heart of its growth strategy. Together, DNV and CyberOwl will reduce cyber risks and strengthen compliance across the maritime supply chain with services that support all aspects of an organization’s cyber security needs and manage risk at every stage of a vessel’s lifecycle,” said Remi Eriksen, Group President and CEO, DNV.
New unified requirements from the International Association of Classification Societies’ (IACS) this year are placing tougher rules on measures that maritime organizations must take to govern, identify, protect, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. This follows International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements already in place for vessel owners, operators and managers to establish cyber security management systems. Only just over half (56%) of maritime professionals are confident in their ability to meet cyber security regulatory requirements [2].
CyberOwl provides vessel operators with analytics to identify, monitor and manage cyber threats, and evidence regulatory compliance. The company’s Medulla platform and managed security services helps owners and operators of hundreds of vessels to discover and maintain asset inventories, monitor for escalating cyber risks, know when crew are behaving insecurely, and evaluate the effectiveness of security controls and cyber security policies.
“DNV and CyberOwl are on a mission to help the shipping industry boost its security posture by combining cyber security expertise with longstanding experience in the industry’s technical, operational and commercial realities. DNV has 160 years of maritime heritage, strong engineering expertise and a growing portfolio of cyber security services. These, coupled with CyberOwl’s deep expertise in threat monitoring and incident management, provide a powerhouse for advancing cyber-physical safety, sustainability and resilience in the sector” said Daniel Ng, CEO, CyberOwl.
The acquisition strengthens DNV’s maritime cyber security and emergency response services portfolio. It creates one of the world’s largest specialists in maritime cyber security with a presence in five global shipping hubs – Oslo, London, Singapore, Hamburg and Piraeus.
CyberOwl will team up with DNV’s global network of 3,500 maritime risk experts and 500 cyber security specialists. Together, the two companies will address all aspects of a maritime organization’s cyber security needs, safeguarding demanding IT and industrial control system environments in the sector.
DNV’s acquisition of CyberOwl is the latest step in the independent assurance and risk management provider’s cyber security growth strategy. Earlier this year, DNV created one of Europe’s fastest growing cyber security services businesses – DNV Cyber – by merging its existing cyber security business with two recently acquired companies, Nixu and Applied Risk.
CyberOwl will be operated separately to DNV’s ship classification business.
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[1] CyberOwl, HFW and Thetius (2023): Shifting Tides, Rising Ransoms and Critical Decisions
[2] DNV (2023): Maritime Cyber Priority
