ONE WAY TO PROTECT THE INFORMATION OF THE SHIP'S SENSORY NETWORK FROM EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE AND CYBER ATTACKS

This paper represents a study for information security of ship’s navigational sensory network and possibilities for protection of the data streams on it. The current state and future evolution of basic protocols and standards for communication between marine electronic devices are described. It is found, that the data on the ship's sensory network is not protected from cyber-attacks and external interference. An approach is proposed for securing the ship's sensory network using micro-crypto devices for encryption of the navigational data between different sensors, indicators and systems. Every micro-crypto device is consisting of programmable microcontroller, which uses symmetric-key algorithms for encryption/decryption of the data with 128 bits key size. In addition, every micro-crypto device has a unique identification number (ID) and they are programmed to communicate with exactly defined sensors, indicators or systems in the network.

The proposed solution falls under the domain of technical information protection measures. The implementation and the use of the proposed cybersecurity solution and increasing of the level of protection of marine navigation information will significantly enhance the safety of navigation and, respectively, the safety of human life at sea.