NIST And USCG Issue New Maritime Industry Cybersecurity Profile

In 2013, President Obama issued Executive Order 13636 and directed the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to "lead the development of a framework to reduce cybersecurity risks to critical infrastructure" (Cybersecurity Framework). The Cybersecurity Framework was published in February 2014. A number of industries are integrating the Cybersecurity Framework, including by creating industry-focused Framework Profiles (Profiles) as described in the Cybersecurity Framework.

This month, NIST and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) released a "Maritime Bulk Liquids Transfer Cybersecurity Framework Profile" (Bulk Liquids Transfer Profile) to address the vulnerabilities in the transfer process of bulk hazardous liquids in the maritime industry. These transfers are often a part of a sophisticated supply chain that uses multiple networked systems, and is therefore vulnerable to attack. The new profile serves to assist in cybersecurity risk