Launch of a Specialized Advanced Master® in Port and Maritime Systems Cybersecurity

Strong demand from industry and maritime stakeholders.

The only one of its kind in Europe, this training offers expertise in countering current attacks and detecting future threats ; The « Port and Maritime Systems Cybersecurity » Specialized Advanced Master® aims to tackle any danger to ports, shipping (military vessels, yachts, fishing vessels, cargo ships, liners, pleasure craft…) and any type of offshore platform.

The maritime sector ensures the transport of 90% of the goods of the world’s economy. France currently has the second largest exclusive economic zone in the world and has to protect it by means of her Navy. She also has to deploy her military and maritime might considerable distances from her capital for her own protection. Thus, paralyzed ports and sabotaged shipping due to cyber-attacks could have grave consequences for the economy and world safety. The Specialized Advanced Master® aims to tackle any dangers that could affect ports, shipping (military vessels, yachts, fishing vessels, cargo boats, liners, leisure craft …) and any type of offshore platform. 

The electronic and computerized systems found on board vessels are subject to specific constraints : the lifespan of a ship is about 40 years, in comparison to a couple of years for an office computer. Maintaining them in a state of operational security is thus of the utmost importance.

points out Loïc Lagadec, associate professor and Head of Cybersecurity at ENSTA Bretagne.

Train experts

The « Port and Maritime Systems Cybersecurity » Specialized Advanced Master® aims to train experts in cybersecurity for the maritime sector in the design, exploitation and cyberdefense of specific systems. It is mainly for candidates who have a Master degree or a Bachelor’s degree with Honours and a minimum of 3 years of professional experience.

The Specialized Advanced Master® comprises over 500 hours of theory and practice, mostly taught in Brest, covering many themes such as social engineering, security of maritime cyber technology or “marétique” in French, legislation, audits, systems and network cyber security, cryptography, detection and monitoring.

The training program is the result of meticulous preparation on the part of the schools and also professionals in this field, to be certain that the contents completely satisfy their expectations. A major exercise in cyber crisis management in the maritime field will be proposed to the students to help them to anticipate their future roles. 

states Lieutenant-Commander Olivier, member of the teaching staff at the École Navale.

All the themes expected by the Agence Nationale de la Sécurité des Systèmes d'Information (ANSSI) or National Agency for Information System Security have been taken into account to obtain the SecNumEdu label proposed by the Agency, which is directed by the Prime Minister.

A large part of the training will be delivered by professionals in this field, thus the students will be able to visit first rate ships and port infrastructure. 

An exceptional training environment

The Specialized Advanced Master takes place within the industrial context of Brest, with its hub of major players in the maritime field (Naval Group, Campus Mondial de la Mer, Ifremer, SHOM…) and is led in partnership with four cutting edge schools in terms of research and innovation in the field of maritime cybersecurity engineering for the French Navy. The Ecole Navale, ENSTA Bretagne and IMT Atlantique are members of the Naval Systems Cyberdefense Chair.

Certified by the Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique and backed by the Pôle d’Excellence Cyber, this high level training received the accreditation of the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles (CGE). It will start in Brest in September 2020.  

• Start date: September 2020
• Cost of training: from 9,900 euros
• Enrolment on line via the IMT Atlantique website