Background

The MariOT testbed is a hybrid cyber-physical platform that includes the essential components of shipboard OT systems complemented with virtual simulation models and cyber-physical interface. This physical testbed includes the essential components of shipboard OT and ship-shore interface systems as well. In addition, it adopts common industry communication protocols and have an open and realistic framework that provides the interfaces for launching various cyber-attacks as in a real system and is also able to deploy and demonstrate detection and defence mechanisms to validate their effectiveness against those attacks.

MariOT is the first maritime cyber-physical system testbed in the world for maritime cybersecurity research. It affords cybersecurity researchers a safe, representative and controlled platform to design and validate new and existing cybersecurity technologies that can be deployed in shipboard OT systems. This will further cement iTrust’s international standing as a world-leading research centre in cyber-physical system security and a national satellite of excellence on secure critical infrastructure.

MariOT will also be used for training of maritime cybersecurity professionals such as through cyber ranging exercises, conduct of readiness exercise, etc. for Singapore maritime stakeholders, such as MPA, port operators, cybersecurity solution providers/vendors, ship owners and classification societies to install and validate cybersecurity technologies in a realistic environment as well. Maritime researchers and educators would be also keenly interested to use the testbed for experiments and development of manpower capability in maritime cybersecurity, respectively.

Other than training of maritime cybersecurity professionals, a value add of MariOT’s remote connection to CEMS’ simulator is that it will be able to incorporate anomalous scenarios (e.g. cyber attacks) into the simulator’s operating environment for training seafaring crew. The impacts of these anomalous scenarios are then represented by the various ways in which the physical components malfunction, and how the malfunctioning of these individual components – alone or together – lead to a failure at the systems-level (i.e. the entire vessel.) This synergistic collaboration of the two centre’s strengths in cybersecurity and safe navigation will help raise the crew’s situational and safety awareness in vessel navigation.

Media Coverage

On Ch 8: https://www.8world.com/videos/news-bite/maritime-cybersecurity-traning-facility-2741401

On CNA: https://youtu.be/ai6vDVqL0fA?feature=shared

On Zaobao: https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/singapore/story20250325-6064722