Blogs

Internationally, UK based freight transport specialist insurer TT Club has noted that supply chain operators these days are vulnerable to disruptive cyber activity. This would either be by criminals or other perpetrators which then impacts operations and puts the commercially sensitive and confidential data at risk. Sometimes IT systems are poorly protected by security software. Globally, AV-TEST has indicated last year that 4.2 new files of malware code on an average were generated every second. There were two incidents recently which have made companies more alert. The first incident of serious IT incursion in 2017 was the spoofing attack on over twenty ships in Novorossiysk, Russia. The experts of navigation have claimed that the spoofing sent false signals which resulted in ship-board equipment providing false information as to the location of the ships. Some have even stated that this could have been a state-sponsored attack. The second incident was the NotPetya strike. This had affected many in the supply chain, including AP Moller-Maersk. This had resulted in a large-scale disruption with substantial costs for those parties immediately impacted and their partners. TT Club stated that their research revealed a worrisome situation for the industry. Additionally, a BIMCO Survey (2016) suggested that over 20% of their respondents admitted to cyber-attacks. A SeaIntel Maritime Analysis report (2017) also estimated that 44% of the top 50 container carriers had weak or inadequate cybersecurity policies and processes. Government body initiatives, and the knowledge of existing vulnerabilities help highlight that cybersecurity is more pertinent for ports and terminals, but it does not discriminate with the broader supply chain community. Security with ODeX: At ODeX, we understand that security is of utmost importance, especially due to these recent incidents. Hence, we have taken the following steps to ensure absolute security of your account. Controlled Viewing : Only authorised users can gain access to certain documents. This is done based on the type of organisation, and the role of the user in that organisation. Registration on ODeX is mandatory with a valid email ID, authorisation is made according to that. For example, a CHA has access to different documents as compared to Freight Forwarders. The critical data is encrypted which assures protection against hacking. Seamless Integration : Our software ensures seamless integration with the various shipping lines. This ensures that the documents reach the shipping lines immediately, and without any glitches along the way. ODeX uses HTTPS and SFTP (which is a security protocol in allowing for seamless integration). Complete Audit Trail : We provide complete transparency. There is an audit trail for all activities that a user does. This means that a user can verify all the other users. Regular Audits : ODeX conducts regular audits of data sanctity and vulnerability to ensure that data is secure. This involves scanning for malware among bugs that could happen to ensure that there is no security breach. If any breach has been found, we tackle it immediately to ensure that it does not happen in the future. We are also ISO certified – with ISO 27001:2013 certificates. Over 10,000 happy users have been experiencing secure online documentation transactions at ODeX. We do the heavy lifting of researching malware and upgrading our software to ensure that our users can conduct business seamlessly.