Cyber Risk Series - Superyachts: High ROI Targets for Hackers

Episode 6: Cyber Risk Series - Sleek showstoppers at sea, Superyachts are privately owned luxury vessels with the latest and most advanced technology systems onboard. As mix-use spaces, megayachts present a high return on investment for hackers seeking collateral damage with serious personal, safety and financial consequences. As the current COVID-19 situation continues to impact operations globally, how is the yachting market a prime target for cyber attackers to exploit?

In this episode, Ian Bramson takes a closer look at this unique cyber environment with experts from luxury technology provider Van Berge Henegouwen (VBH) and its cyber partner, Atlas Cybersecurity.

"From an OT perspective, yachts have distinct sets of technologies," says Ben Dynkin, co-founder of Atlas Cybersecurity. "The reason cyber criminals are targeting them varies wildly. We are seeing a much broader spectrum of the kinds of risk facing this market—from extortion and blackmail attempts leveraging IoT based attacks to espionage efforts if you have CEOs and corporate executives onboard. There’s a panoply of attacks that can come across the wire." 

"Yachts are very specific. From an ownership and use point of view, they are private assets with professional needs," says Goran Antonijevic, Business Development Manager at VBH. "So, one of the main characteristics is diversity of use…from passenger ships and floating casinos, to an extension of a family’s home. All of these activities bring their own challenges and risks."

Listen to all six episodes in this Cyber Risk Series: https://bit.ly/2ywSHuG

Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe and Oscar Diaz, Digital Communications at ABS Group