Safety Detectives: Please share your company background, how you got started, and your mission.

Cydome: Cydome started in 2019 with professionals from both cybersecurity and maritime industries coming together to work towards a safer sea for everyone. Starting with a clean sheet approach to creating our solution we analyzed what was already available and, importantly, the vulnerabilities and limitations in design and communications. We invested heavily in the R&D phase with a no-compromise philosophy in order to build a solution that was always on and proactively defending every element aboard the vessel: all the equipment, computers, devices (IT and OT) deployed onboard, the specific architecture, and the complexity of connectivity onboard. Our solution is designed to specifically accommodate the particular threats and increasingly sophisticated challenges faced by the maritime industry with added regulatory compliance. 

Our mission is to secure the sea. At the moment, sea transport, including vessels, ports, and offshore facilities are open to growing cyber threats which can cause damages in the billions of dollars. Any attacks could mean companies facing reputational risk and a huge loss of money, but potentially an environmental disaster with a worldwide impact (particularly for tankers). This is why our mission is of great importance to the entire supply chain. 

SD: What is the main service your company offers?

Cydome: We offer the highest level of cybersecurity for the maritime industry, bringing a ship-wide protection approach. Our in-house built solution addresses the unique threats in the industry and is always on, proactively securing and protecting both IT and OT assets. This is particularly important for vessels, as coverage of a specific part or segment will not protect the full ship if the attacker can penetrate from another vector. 

SD: What is something unique that helps you stay ahead of your competition?

Cydome: We are an independent provider of cybersecurity with a 100% focus on protecting maritime assets, assuring users that even if their network is experiencing glitches the ship is still completely protected. With no secondary interest in the ship’s data, Cydome focuses on what matters most, the ship’s and sea’s security. 

We are also the only cybersecurity company in the maritime sector to invest a significant percentage of revenues back into R&D as we are committed to continuous innovation. We recently announced our partnership with Constanta Maritime University, which will result in a joint cyberthreat intelligence hub open to all industry players to contribute to. This will further research into cybercrime and mitigation, helping us protect the industry. 

SD: What do you think are the worst cyberthreats today?

Cydome: With new systems and lower costs, the adoption of new technologies is faster than ever. Remote work and cloud services present new risks to the global supply chain. The rate of technology adoption is far faster than the adoption of security measures and awareness among users. Focused attacks, such as ransomware on critical infrastructure and the supply chain, present a potential cyberthreat that will have a ripple effect that will disrupt the global supply chain.