HudsonTrident gets US grant to improve Caribbean cybersecurity

(SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic) — HudsonTrident Inc., an affiliate of HudsonAnalytix Inc. and the Fundación Tito Mella, have announced the receipt of a U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) technical assistance grant to develop a national port cybersecurity assessment platform in the Dominican Republic.

HudsonTrident’s HACyberLogix-informed assessment approach will enable four Dominican ports to cost-effectively assess their entire organizational cybersecurity capabilities and identify cybersecurity capability vulnerabilities. The assessments will support HudsonTrident, the Fundación Tito Mella, and the Dominican port industry in implementing a nationwide cybersecurity assessment platform to identify and manage cyber risks.

Cyber risk has grown in importance as maritime trade becomes increasingly automated and dependent on information availability and accuracy while facing global threats. After the NotPetya attacks that debilitated several port terminals and other maritime transportation organizations, port and maritime stakeholders are increasingly recognizing the urgency to address the challenge of cyber threats. Further, the potential risks posed by the reliance on information systems have become a fundamental component of enterprise security for ports and shipping companies.

“Like physical risk, understanding and mitigating cyber risk is an important topic within the maritime industry regardless of a port’s size. HACyberLogix is an innovative platform that can lead the way toward efficient cyber-risk management,” said HudsonTrident Chief Executive Officer Cynthia Hudson. “We are excited to begin work with USTDA and the Fundación Tito Mella and use HACyberLogix on this important project in the Dominican Republic.”

Recipient of Lloyd’s List 2017 Digital Innovation Award, endorsed by North of England P&I, and powered by NTELX’s iDMX technology, the HACyberLogix platform uniquely combines more than 30 years of port and maritime risk management expertise with current cybersecurity expertise, capabilities, and best practices via an intuitive electronic interface that delivers meaningful cybersecurity guidance, insights, recommendations, and trend analysis capabilities to decision-makers. Designed to foster collaboration across an organization, HACyberLogix informs where and how port and maritime organizations should best and most efficiently allocate precious resources, enables organizations to benchmark their cybersecurity capability progress over time, and helps organizations sustain their long-term cyber-risk management efforts.

HACyberLogix also incorporates the latest cybersecurity standards from the U.S. National Institute of Standards & Technology, the Center for Internet Security’s Critical Controls, and the ISO/IEC 27001 guidelines. Even more, it aligns with the International Maritime Organization’s International Safety Management and International Ship and Port Facility Security Codes, factoring in existing activities port and maritime stakeholders are already performing that are not readily identifiable as cyber-specific, but nonetheless support cybersecurity capability maturity.

For more information, visit www.hudsontrident.com and www.hudsonanalytix.com.

By Professional Mariner Staff