UNCW to Expand Maritime Cybersecurity Program

UNCW worked with Congressman David Rouzer (NC-07) to secure $625,000 from the FY24 federal budget for “Maritime Cybersecurity: Advancing Standards, Research and Workforce Development.”

Professor Ulku Clark, director of the UNCW Center for Cyber ​​Defense Education, is the principal investigator (PI) of this project and Professor Ron Vetter, founding dean of the UNCW College of Science and Engineering, will serve as co-PI . The interdisciplinary research team includes faculty from multiple departments in the Cameron School of Business and the College of Science and Engineering.

The overall purpose of this funding is to help ensure and strengthen the resilience of the maritime subsector of the transportation systems sector, one of 16 sectors designated in Presidential Policy Directive 21 as critical infrastructure. As the current administration made clear in an executive order (EO) of February 21, 2024, strengthening maritime cybersecurity is essential since “the prosperity of the United States is directly related to maritime commerce and the integrated network of ports, terminals, vessels, navigable waterways and land connections. that constitute the nation's Maritime Transportation System (MTS).

"The United States must work to ensure we have the tools necessary to deter hostile actors from attacking our maritime sector," said Congressman Rouzer. “It is important that UNCW has the resources to expand its maritime cybersecurity education and research program, and it was my pleasure to assist during the FY 2024 appropriations process. As cyber threats increase, the “UNCW will continue to lead the way in training the highly skilled workforce that defends our nation’s maritime industry against cyber attacks that threaten our supply chains.”

This funding will allow UNCW to focus on maritime cybersecurity issues, including risk assessment and development of remediation plans, training a workforce to address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals, and developing standards that can be shared nationally. The effort will support government agencies' efforts to develop practices that reduce cyber risks to the maritime industry.

“UNCW cultivates a vibrant and collaborative cybersecurity ecosystem,” said Dr. Clark. “As a North Carolina coastal university, we strongly support the blue economy, including extensive efforts to address the need for a highly skilled maritime cybersecurity workforce.” The UNCW Cyber ​​Defense Education Center was established in 2018, and UNCW now offers eight cybersecurity programs including majors, minors and multiple concentrations in cybersecurity. Adding a maritime cybersecurity specialization will build on UNCW's already robust cybersecurity curriculum and help find solutions to critical national security issues. Rich partnerships drive CCDE's success and include a committed cybersecurity advisory board of regional business partners; an active student-run Cyber ​​Defense Club; and strong collaborative academic coalitions, including the Carolina Cyber ​​Network (CCN) and the North Carolina Partnership for Cybersecurity Excellence (NC-PaCE).

America's system of ports and waterways contributes more than $5 trillion to the national economy, employs more than 30 million people, and provides the conduit for more than 90 percent of all foreign trade.