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IT-659-Q1436 : Case Analysis & Incident Impacts
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Maersk was the victim of a serious cyberattack that jolted the entire
shipping industry. The attack was big news back then. The ethical issues and legal
issues that led to the situation have been analysed here. Similarly, the social and
cultural impact of the event has been thoroughly examined. The impact has been
categorized into cultural impact, standards and regulations impact so that a holistic
picture can be drawn in the process. The cyberattack incident is regarded to be
one of the most catastrophic occurrences that jolted the shipping industry.
Ethical Issues in Maersk cyberattack
A number of loopholes existed in the IT infrastructure of Maersk due to
which the computer network of the shipping business undertaking was
compromised. The NotPaytya cyberattack affected the shipping business since the
online assets of the firm were totally unprotected. The interconnectedness of a
large number of computer systems further intensified the vulnerability of the
shipping business (Ship-technology.com, 2018). The main ethical issue that gave
rise to the cyberattack was the lack of a proper security system.
Legal Compliance issues within the Maersk organization
The magnitude of the cyberattack on Maersk was high since there existed a
number of legal loopholes that needed to be filled (Theregister.co.uk, 2018). The
malware was placed in a malicious update in one of the most popular accounting
software that was used by the shipping concern. Since the software was not
checked by the firm, it was not able to identify the anti-element that existed in
its computer networks (Marinemec.com, 2018). In spite of the high level of
connectivity of various computer networks and communication systems, the business
undertaking did not have the highest of level automation process that is expected
from a global ship business. Even though a concern can never be 100 percent
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secure in the vast cyber space, Maersk could have averted the attack by updating
its software with the relevant security fixes that were produced by Microsoft
(Economictimes.indiatimes.com, 2018).
The societal and cultural impact of the compliance issues
Maersk’s cyberattack incident affected the shipping industry as the business
was one of the most reputed and prominent market participants at the time of the
incident (Saul, 2017). The impact of the attack has reverberated across the entire
shipping industry and now the shipping firms are increasing their investment to
strengthen their information technology infrastructure (Saul, 2017). The objective is
to control such kinds of cyber-attacks that can outrage the computer network of
the organizations.
Due to the compliance issues that arose in the case of the Maersk shipping
business, it cost the business USD 300 million and affected its social status and
reputation (Novet, 2018). The NotPetyaayttack showed that when it comes to
online threat, there exist no cultural or social boundaries.
Impact of the incident with ethical and legal IT regulations of the time
After the cyberattack incident that jolted the shipping industry, various
shipping firms including Maersk are working on new security measures so that the
online assets can be safeguarded on the cyber platform. For instance, Maersk is
working with the IBM organisation so that it can incorporate a new and effective
Blockchain solution. The incident has made the shipping firm conscious to
maintain a safe and secure IT infrastructure so that their operations and activities
will not be compromised in any manner.
After the incident, most of the shipping firms started working on
introducing stronger and effective security measures that could protect their business
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as well as the online assets. Changes have been introduced in the IT regulations
(Marinemec.com, 2018). Prior to the cyberattack, the main attention was given to
the voluntary guidelines and instructions from the shipping industry but after the
attack that affected the business activities of Maersk, new and stringent regulations
are being introduced so that the ship business firms can be protected from
dangerous cyber incidents.
The link between the industry standards and the standards in existence for
information technology
The cybersecurity in the shipping industry has been quite lenient prior to
the cyberattack incident. The main factors that come into play and influence the
level of security in the industrial setting include automation, integration, The
capability to “ship to shore” that communicates through monitoring and the
connectivity via the internet. The industry standards relating to cybersecurity were
limited to a certain extent.
The security measures that were followed by Maersk at the time of the
incident was below par. For instance, the safety net of the business undertaking
was not upgraded due to which the unauthorized people had access to the
computer network. Thus it can be said that the shipping industry’s standards
relating to cyber security were lacking and at the same time, the security approach
of Maersk also contained loopholes.
Cultural Implication
The cyberattack that affected Maersk and its shipping business had a major
cultural implication as it showed that the social-cultural conflicts can give rise to
technology-based conflicts and cyber issues. The incident, in fact, acted as a
catalyst and gave rise to the culture of cyber security (Gandhi et al., 2011).
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Since people generally tend to think in form of groups, the Maersk
cyberattack highlighted the fact that the shipping industry is not safe and it is
highly vulnerable in the online platform. The incident was a major happening that
took place on the cyber platform and reshaped the regulations and standards that
have been existing in the shipping industry for a long period of time (Gandhi et
al., 2011). The cyber breach that not attacked the IT system of the business but
also and crippled its It infrastructure increased the collective consciousness of the
industry participants and the government about a robust cyber security model.
The cyberattack that was experienced by the shipping giant Maersk revealed
that the cyber attackers and cyber hackers are on their toes at all times and they
are regularly looking out for vulnerabilities of business concerns. The magnitude of
the cyber incident could have been controlled to a certain extent if the business
had a stronger ethical and legal model of cyber security. But the incident has
opened the eyes of the shipping industry participants due to which they are trying
to safeguard their IT infrastructure and abide by the latest rules and standards
concerning cyber security.
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References
Economictimes.indiatimes.com. (2018). Maersk says global IT breakdown caused by
cyber attack. Retrieved from
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/business/maersk-says-global-
it-breakdown-caused-by-cyber-attack/articleshow/59341860.cms
Ship-technology.com (2018). Did the Maersk cyber attack reveal an industry
dangerously unprepared? - Ship Technology. Retrieved from https://www.ship-
technology.com/features/maersk-cyber-attack-reveal-industry-dangerously-unprepared/
Gandhi, R., Sharma, A., Mahoney, W., Sousan, W., Zhu, Q., & Laplante, P.
(2011). Dimensions of cyber-attacks: Cultural, social, economic, and political.
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, 30(1), 28-38.
Marinemec.com (2018). Shipping got off lightly in first cyber security attacks, say
legal experts. Retrieved from http://www.marinemec.com/news/view,shipping-got-
off-lightly-in-first-cyber-security-attacks-say-legal-experts_49273.htm
Marinemec.com (2018). Blockchain would have prevented Maersk cyber-attack
Retrieved from http://www.marinemec.com/news/view,blockchain-would-have-
prevented-maersk-cyber-attack_48287.htm
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Novet, J. (2018). Shipping company Maersk says June cyberattack could cost it up
to $300 million. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/16/maersk-says-
notpetya-cyberattack-could-cost-300-million.html
Saul, J. (2017). Global shipping feels fallout from Maersk cyber attack.
Theregister.co.uk (2018). IT 'heroes' saved Maersk from NotPetya with ten-day
reinstallation bliz.. Retrieved from
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/01/25/after_notpetya_maersk_replaced_everything/
