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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
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that is expected from a global ship business. Even though a concern can never
be 100 percent 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.
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After the incident, most of the shipping firms started working on
introducing stronger and effective security measures that could protect their
business 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
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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).
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
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aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aaa
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attacks-say-legal-experts_49273.htm
Marinemec.com (2018). Blockchain would have prevented Maersk cyber-attack
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prevented-maersk-cyber-attack_48287.htm
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
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