{"693264":{"#nid":"693264","#data":{"type":"news","title":"When a Ship\u2019s Systems Lie, Cybersecurity Gets Complicated","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESailors at sea rely on electronic equipment to keep ships on course and out of danger, but what happens when hackers get involved? Are the mariners equipped to handle modern cybersecurity threats like GPS spoofing?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/2609.12810\u0022\u003Estudy\u003C\/a\u003E accepted for the 2026 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.sigsac.org\/ccs\/CCS2026\/index.html\u0022\u003EACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security\u003C\/a\u003E, Georgia Tech researchers interviewed 20 military sailors about their cybersecurity experiences, training, and responses to hypothetical scenarios. Their findings point to a gap between how mariners are trained to handle emergencies and how cyberattacks can compromise the systems they depend on.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe study found several gaps in how crews prepare for cyber threats:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022edf63c815360cecb04c01d6561be9a7b1\u0022\u003ETraining often misses the mark. Thirteen participants said that standard cybersecurity training was largely irrelevant to their shipboard duties, and 14 reported receiving no mission-specific cybersecurity training.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e619f896d048b6bcd034a76176e6067bb\u0022\u003EOperational technology is often overlooked. Eighteen participants said their training did not distinguish between traditional information technology and operational technology, such as navigation and propulsion systems.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e928f3fef211e61dcd97e963697bd9389\u0022\u003EObvious failures are easier to recognize. Eighteen participants said they would primarily look for visible signs of operational problems when identifying a potential cyberattack.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e1499170bf08bd8a760ed09fee3a091d7\u0022\u003ECybersecurity is often a low priority. Seventeen participants described their cybersecurity training as absent, low quality, or a low priority.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThese gaps matter because cyberattacks can compromise a system without causing it to stop working. For example, an attacker could manipulate navigation data, leaving a crew to make decisions based on false information.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI\u2019d assume it was anything but cyber at first. It would probably take me quite some time to get to that conclusion,\u201d one participant told the researchers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe team examined three hypothetical scenarios: GPS spoofing, loss of propulsion control in a high-traffic area, and failure of electronic navigation systems in a congested channel at night.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn each scenario, mariners would first focus on keeping the vessel safe, using established procedures to stabilize the ship and troubleshoot its systems. While this response is essential during an emergency, it could delay recognition of an attack if crews do not consider that the system or its data may have been compromised.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, a ship navigating a narrow channel depends on accurate location information, but what happens when its navigation systems appear to work normally while a hacker manipulates that data?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAn attacker could use GPS spoofing to falsify a vessel\u2019s reported position. If the false position is close enough to the ship\u2019s actual location, a mariner might not notice anything wrong. The vessel could gradually head toward shallow water or another obstacle without triggering an obvious error or alarm.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cBy the time the mariner realizes something is wrong, the ship\u2019s size and limited maneuverability could make it too late to avoid a grounding or collision,\u201d said \u003Cstrong\u003EAnna Raymaker\u003C\/strong\u003E, a Georgia Tech Ph.D. student who studies maritime security.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe scenario illustrates a central challenge in maritime cybersecurity: An equipment failure may be easy to recognize, but a cyberattack that provides false information can be much harder to detect.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arxiv.org\/pdf\/2609.12810\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EBatten the Hatches: Cybersecurity with Military Mariners\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Ewas written by master\u2019s student \u003Cstrong\u003ERyan Von Brock\u003C\/strong\u003E, Raymaker, Research Scientist \u003Cstrong\u003EAnimesh Chhotaray\u003C\/strong\u003E, Associate Professors \u003Cstrong\u003EFrank Li\u003C\/strong\u003E and \u003Cstrong\u003ESaman Zonouz\u003C\/strong\u003E, and Provost \u0026amp; Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs \u003Cstrong\u003ERaheem Beyah\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe research was conducted in Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sites.gatech.edu\/capcpsec\/\u0022\u003ECyber-Physical Security Lab\u003C\/a\u003E, a collaboration between the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scp.cc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Cybersecurity and Privacy\u003C\/a\u003E and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ece.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Electrical and Computer Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPhotos by Terence Rushin\/College of Computing\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMaritime cybersecurity training leaves sailors vulnerable to attacks that manipulate ship systems without obvious failures. The Georgia Tech study identifies weaknesses in preparation and threat recognition among military mariners. Interviews with 20 military sailors found that 13 considered standard training irrelevant, while 14 lacked mission-specific cybersecurity training. Operational technology gaps affected 18 participants, and 18 said they would mainly seek visible operational problems when detecting attacks. In scenarios involving GPS spoofing and navigation or propulsion failures, crews prioritized vessel safety, but false data could delay detection and cause grounding or collision.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Maritime cybersecurity training leaves sailors vulnerable to attacks that manipulate ship systems without obvious failures. The Georgia Tech study identifies weaknesses in preparation and threat recognition among military mariners."}],"uid":"36253","created_gmt":"2026-10-16 13:29:06","changed_gmt":"2026-10-19 13:04:54","author":"John Popham","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-10-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-10-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681456":{"id":"681456","type":"image","title":"Saman-Zonouz-Lab_banner.jpg","body":null,"created":"1792414735","gmt_created":"2026-10-19 12:58:55","changed":"1792414735","gmt_changed":"2026-10-19 12:58:55","alt":"A group photo of students and faculty standing around lab equipment found on a ship. ","file":{"fid":"265864","name":"Saman-Zonouz-Lab_banner.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/19\/Saman-Zonouz-Lab_banner.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/19\/Saman-Zonouz-Lab_banner.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1807296,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/19\/Saman-Zonouz-Lab_banner.jpg?itok=C77DD-Gm"}},"681458":{"id":"681458","type":"image","title":"Saman-Zonouz-Lab_side-view.jpg","body":null,"created":"1792414735","gmt_created":"2026-10-19 12:58:55","changed":"1792414735","gmt_changed":"2026-10-19 12:58:55","alt":"A group of students working on lab equipment. The equipment replicates a ship\u0027s helm. ","file":{"fid":"265866","name":"Saman-Zonouz-Lab_side-view.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/19\/Saman-Zonouz-Lab_side-view.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/19\/Saman-Zonouz-Lab_side-view.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1676397,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/19\/Saman-Zonouz-Lab_side-view.jpg?itok=-Potoyjw"}},"681457":{"id":"681457","type":"image","title":"Saman-Zonouz-Lab_ship-equipment.jpg","body":null,"created":"1792414735","gmt_created":"2026-10-19 12:58:55","changed":"1792414735","gmt_changed":"2026-10-19 12:58:55","alt":"Lab equipment of a ship steering wheel and other electronic  measuring devices. ","file":{"fid":"265865","name":"Saman-Zonouz-Lab_ship-equipment.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/19\/Saman-Zonouz-Lab_ship-equipment.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/19\/Saman-Zonouz-Lab_ship-equipment.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1781292,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/19\/Saman-Zonouz-Lab_ship-equipment.jpg?itok=mkKyqYFy"}}},"media_ids":["681456","681458","681457"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"660406","name":"School of Cybersecurity \u0026 Privacy"},{"id":"660367","name":"School of Cybersecurity and Privacy"}],"categories":[{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"145","name":"Engineering"},{"id":"147","name":"Military Technology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"145171","name":"Cybersecurity"},{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Popham\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Officer for the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jpopham3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}