The programme is designed on two levels, for the Corporate Centre there will be improved corporate governance and awareness as well as visibility in key security metrics such as vulnerabilities that may affect the group’s network of ports.
“For individual business units essential security controls will be introduced such as network segregation and protection, backup solutions, endpoint security as well as incident response and recovery capabilities,” said Epsilon Ip, general manager-Enterprise Architecture & IT Security, Information Technology at Hutchison Ports.
Widespread threat
“Following Wannacry and Notpetya, ransomware outbreaks are now very widespread in the shipping sector with one major player suffering a crippling shut down for days, with losses reported up to US$300 million,” said Mr Ip.
Hutchison Ports is heavily reliant on digital technology to run its critical business processes according to Herman Chiu, general manager-Terminal Development, Group Operations at Hutchison Ports.
The cyber-attack recovery programme aims to strengthen Hutchison Ports digital resilience and recovery capabilities against harmful cyber-attacks and other technology related risks.
“The programme assists business units within the group to understand their critical processes, identify potential digital vulnerabilities and develop their own ‘Incident Response Playbook’, which will be updated and revised regularly to maintain its effectiveness against the latest cyber-security threats,” added Chiu.
Phase one of the Cyber Security Recovery Programme will be rolled out to twenty-two selected business units and the rest will follow.