The CRC project aims to “improve the cybersecurity readiness of the Port and enhance its threat-sharing and recovery capabilities among supply chain stakeholders.” The project was designed in a collaborative process together with participating stakeholders and will be operated by IBM.
New Project Builds on Earlier CSOC Center
The new project builds on the Port of Los Angeles’s earlier 2014 establishment of a “Cyber Security Operations Center” that was designed to protect the Port’s internal networks. Envisioned as a “system of systems,” the new CRC will leverage “IBM’s cutting-edge technologies in cloud and AI,” as well as give “approximately 20 stakeholders” access to IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence. Additional groups are expected to join every six months to enhance recovery and threat-sharing capabilities among; terminal operators, shipping lines, truck, rail, and “cross-sector stakeholders who provide essential support services, and from external intelligence sources.” The collaborative approach will centralize threat information for stakeholders, helping prevent “cyber disruption of the supply chain.” The CRC will function as the Port’s hub for receiving, analyzing, and sharing information among stakeholders who will also receive annual cybersecurity training. The project aims to “create a more inclusive maritime community.”
Remarks From Port Management
Remarks concerning the CRC project from Director Gene Seroka and General Manager of IBM Security Services Christopher McCurdy shed light on the importance of timely supply chain protection. The pandemic period has particularly emphasized how key it is to protect ports and cargo. “We must take every precaution against potential cyber incidents, particularly those that could threaten or disrupt the flow of cargo,” said Seroka. “The past year has proven the vital role that ports hold to our nation’s critical infrastructure, supply chains, and economy, underscoring that it’s paramount we secure this ecosystem,” McCurdy said.
A Response to Rising Critical Infrastructure Attacks
The CRC project is one of many that will mitigate cyberattacks on critical infrastructures, such as the colonial pipeline attack. For instance, U.S. critical infrastructure is now particularly at risk from high-profile threat groups. This is a very serious problem that has been growing and threatening all-important supply chain ecosystems and the economy at large on a global scale. More evidence of just how serious the impact of cyber incidents can be on critical infrastructure is that insurance giant Allianz has marked cyber risk as the top security threat in 2022, eclipsing even natural disasters. Supply chain attacks are particularly worrisome, the very thing the Port of Los Angeles’s CRC project aims to defend against i.e., disruptions to the flow of cargo. This new trend is a good roadmap for critical infrastructure cybersecurity, which will hopefully curb future attacks on everything from water systems to wind turbines, transportation, healthcare, and beyond.
