Risk Matters X.0

This episode is part two in a series of conversations with Wärtsilä’s cybersecurity and new technology leaders. 

A system is only as secure as its weakest point. In this episode of Risk Matters X.0, we discuss cyber ecosystems with Wärtsilä, examining the advantages and vulnerabilities that support connectivity. 

“The ecosystem in the marine environment is a very populated space,” says Eric Schreiber, General Manager for New Technologies at Wärtsilä. “There are a lot of hands in the pot, and not everyone has cybersecurity expertise.” 

“There are a million things that can be taken into account when you are operating your vessel, and those come from IT and OT systems that expand far beyond the vessel ecosystem,” adds Christopher Stein, Cybersecurity Expert at Wärtsilä.

Need more cyber expertise? Revisit our Cyber Risk Series: https://bit.ly/2ywSHuG 

About the Guest:

Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2019, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.2 billion with approximately 19,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

About the Host:

Ian Bramson heads the global cybersecurity organization at ABS Group of Companies, Inc. (ABS Group), an affiliate of American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), where he works closely with senior executives across the maritime sector to help minimize their cyber security risks. For over 20 years, Ian has helped organizations adapt to their digital environments and solve business challenges related to industrial cybersecurity, risk management and digital transformation. He has built successful companies, global sales organizations and cybersecurity programs across multiple industries. Ian is a recognized thought leader and market developer in the emerging threat landscape of attacks on industrial operations and critical infrastructure. He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and English from Cornell University.

ABS Group (www.abs-group.com) provides data-driven risk and reliability solutions, including industrial cybersecurity services, to help clients reduce risk and confirm the safety, integrity, quality and efficiency of their critical assets and operations. Headquartered in Spring, Texas, ABS Group operates with more than 1,000 professionals in over 20 countries serving the marine and offshore, oil, gas and chemical, government and industrial sectors. ABS Group is a subsidiary of ABS, one of the world's leading marine and offshore classification societies.

Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe, Brittney Warrick  and Daniel Fischer, Digital Communications at ABS Group

This episode is part one in a series of conversations with Wärtsilä’s cybersecurity and new technology leaders. 

Let’s talk digitalization and cyber risk. In this episode of Risk Matters X.0, we welcome Wärtsilä to discuss increasing connectivity as a major concern for cybersecurity in the digital age.

"As connectivity increases, so does cyber risk," – Ian Bramson, Head of Cybersecurity at ABS Group. 

"We are already living in this digital, ultra-connected world and times. After 2020, we'll be even more connected and doing activities even more remotely. There are already discussions about 'zero trust' in the OT industry, and 'what about 5G,' and all the upcoming new technologies. I think the cadence or speed of security in the industrial control and OT world is becoming quicker and faster," – Päivi Brunou, General Manager of Cybersecurity at Wärtsilä Voyage.

"I think the greatest hurdle is human behavior, having everyone understand the importance of what is needed to make the asset secure," Eric Schreiber, General Manager for New Technologies at Wärtsilä.

Continue listening to a leading OEM's perspective and revisit the full Cyber Risk Series at https://bit.ly/2ywSHuG.

About the Guest:

Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2019, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.2 billion with approximately 19,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.

About the Host:

Ian Bramson heads the global cybersecurity organization at ABS Group of Companies, Inc. (ABS Group), an affiliate of American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), where he works closely with senior executives across the maritime sector to help minimize their cyber security risks. For over 20 years, Ian has helped organizations adapt to their digital environments and solve business challenges related to industrial cybersecurity, risk management and digital transformation. He has built successful companies, global sales organizations and cybersecurity programs across multiple industries. Ian is a recognized thought leader and market developer in the emerging threat landscape of attacks on industrial operations and critical infrastructure. He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and English from Cornell University.

ABS Group (www.abs-group.com) provides data-driven risk and reliability solutions, including industrial cybersecurity services, to help clients reduce risk and confirm the safety, integrity, quality and efficiency of their critical assets and operations. Headquartered in Spring, Texas, ABS Group operates with more than 1,000 professionals in over 20 countries serving the marine and offshore, oil, gas and chemical, government and industrial sectors. ABS Group is a subsidiary of ABS, one of the world's leading marine and offshore classification societies.

Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe and Daniel Fischer, Digital Communications at ABS Group

Episode 9: Cyber Risk Series – From the Hacker’s Point of View

What does cybersecurity look like from the opposition's point of view? With a long background in pen-testing (penetration testing) and extensive experience in security research and programming, Weston Hecker is a professional "white hat" hacker at Mission Secure, a firm focused on control system cybersecurity. An avid speaker on all things hacking, Weston is working on a major university's research project with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on 911 emergency systems and attack mitigation. In this episode, Weston shares insights into hacking oil rigs and how he's found cyber vulnerabilities in popular software and firmware systems from some of the world's leading technology companies. 

Listen now to the hacker’s point of view and learn why organizations working in the offshore oil and gas and maritime sectors must confront cyber as a growing threat to operations.

Discover more episodes in this Cyber Risk Series: https://bit.ly/2ywSHuG

About the Guest:
Weston Hecker is a cyber evangelist and ethical hacker with over a decade of pen-testing and 14 years of experience in cybersecurity research and programming. Weston works with organizations on their cybersecurity strategies, including leaders in the oil and gas, chemicals, maritime and defense sectors. A regular on the cybersecurity circuit, he has delivered over 50 presentations ranging from industry-leading events to regional conferences and universities. Notable events include Blackhat, Defcon, ISC2-Security Congress, SC-Congress, BSIDESBoston and TakedownCON. His work with universities includes projects and training such as the "Hacking Oil Rigs for Profit" event at the University of Houston and a major university project with DHS. Weston attended school in Minneapolis, where he studied Computer Science and Geophysics.

About the Host:
Ian Bramson heads the global cyber security organization at ABS Group of Companies, Inc. (ABS Group), where he works closely with senior executives across the maritime sector to help minimize their cyber security risks. For over 20 years, Ian has helped organizations adapt to their digital environments and solve business challenges related to industrial cybersecurity, risk management and digital transformation. He has built successful companies, global sales organizations and cybersecurity programs across multiple industries. Ian is a recognized thought leader and market developer in the emerging threat landscape of attacks on industrial operations and critical infrastructure. He has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and English from Cornell University.

ABS Group (www.abs-group.com) provides data-driven risk and reliability solutions, including industrial cybersecurity services, to help clients reduce risk and confirm the safety, integrity, quality and efficiency of their critical assets and operations. Headquartered in Spring, Texas, ABS Group operates with more than 1,000 professionals in over 20 countries serving the marine and offshore, oil, gas and chemical, government and industrial sectors. ABS Group is a subsidiary of ABS, one of the world's leading marine and offshore classification societies.


Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe and Oscar Diaz, Digital Communications at ABS Group

20 to 30 seconds. That's how long it takes cyber professional Ewan Robinson of Yangosat, a UK-based satellite communications supplier, to hack into your ship. "It's still very easy—the systems are still exposed. That's one of the things we're trying to bring to people, [the awareness of] just how exposed they are without knowing it," he says. "No system is an island," adds Ian Bramson, Global Head of Cybersecurity at ABS Group.

Ewan is a white hat hacker (an ethical computer hacker) who understands how easy it is to access a vessel's communications systems and disable, disrupt and potentially destroy your shipping operations. Listen now as host Ian Bramson discusses the imminent threat of hacking maritime vessels in this latest episode of Risk Matters X.0.

Listen to more episodes in this Cyber Risk Series: https://bit.ly/2ywSHuG


Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe and Oscar Diaz, Digital Communications at ABS Group

Let's talk Catastrophic Risk. How have major industrial incidents, transportation accidents, terrorist attacks and natural disasters changed our understanding of risk? A fire at the Port of Beirut, on Lebanon's northern Mediterranean coast, and subsequent ammonium nitrate explosion on 4 August 2020 has brought new public awareness as we investigate how this devastating incident occurred.

In this episode, Host Matt Mowrer seeks answers from experts from ABS Group’s Extreme Loads and Structural Risk division. This specialized engineering team analyzes blast effects to understand how we can make buildings safer and more resilient to withstand disasters. Incident investigators Darrell Barker and Ben Harrison share technical insights on what we know about ammonium nitrate and what we can learn from these catastrophic incidents to improve awareness and better manage risk.

"This is the first large-scale ammonium nitrate event that has occurred in a major city during the smart phone era, in the daytime. So, we have tons of photo and video evidence [to analyze] what happened here," Matt Mowrer, ABS Group Director.

This series focuses on Catastrophic Risk and the outcomes from historic events that have shaped regulations and industry practices to manage the risk from man-made and natural disasters. Stay tuned for more risk matters.

About the Guests:

Ben Harrison, P.E. is a technical director in the Extreme Loads and Structural Risk division of ABS Group. Ben has led and actively participated in over 20 fire and explosion incident investigations during his professional career. His areas of expertise include the design, analysis, testing and investigation of structures subjected to energetic loads, including extreme wind, blast and debris impact. His responsibilities have included surveying structural damage to determine the magnitude of explosion blast loads, directional indicator mapping to determine explosion sources, fire mapping, evidence collection and storage to maintain chain of custody, deconstruction planning, regulatory interface support and root cause analysis. Some of his more notable investigation experience includes the 1998 DeBruce Grain Elevator explosion, the 2005 BP Refinery Explosion and the 2013 West Fertilizer Explosion.

Darrell D. Barker, P.E. is Vice President of the Extreme Loads and Structural Risk division. With over 37 years of experience in blast resistant design and construction, Darrell is a recognized industry leader in this field and speaks extensively on the subject to industry groups and government agencies. He has published more than 40 papers on explosion effects research and development as well as practical approaches to protection of structures against explosion hazards.

Darrell manages a unit of 50 professionals located across the U.S. specializing in structural analysis and design for building structures and offshore equipment subjected to extreme wind, seismic and blast loads. This division conducts structural reliability analysis for clients domestically and internationally who require innovative solutions to challenging problems.  

Darrell is active on several industry committees which address blast resistant design including the American Concrete Institute and the American Society of Civil Engineers. He has been a contributing author for technical publications, including Design of Blast Resistant Building in Petrochemical Facilities and the AISC Design Guide 56 Design of Blast Resistant Structures. He also chaired ACI Committee 370 on Short Duration Dynamic and Vibratory Effects and is a founding member of the Protective Glazing Council.

Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe and Oscar Diaz, Digital Communications at ABS Group

Episode 6: Cyber Risk Series - Sleek showstoppers at sea, Superyachts are privately owned luxury vessels with the latest and most advanced technology systems onboard. As mix-use spaces, megayachts present a high return on investment for hackers seeking collateral damage with serious personal, safety and financial consequences. As the current COVID-19 situation continues to impact operations globally, how is the yachting market a prime target for cyber attackers to exploit?

In this episode, Ian Bramson takes a closer look at this unique cyber environment with experts from luxury technology provider Van Berge Henegouwen (VBH) and its cyber partner, Atlas Cybersecurity.

"From an OT perspective, yachts have distinct sets of technologies," says Ben Dynkin, co-founder of Atlas Cybersecurity. "The reason cyber criminals are targeting them varies wildly. We are seeing a much broader spectrum of the kinds of risk facing this market—from extortion and blackmail attempts leveraging IoT based attacks to espionage efforts if you have CEOs and corporate executives onboard. There’s a panoply of attacks that can come across the wire." 

"Yachts are very specific. From an ownership and use point of view, they are private assets with professional needs," says Goran Antonijevic, Business Development Manager at VBH. "So, one of the main characteristics is diversity of use…from passenger ships and floating casinos, to an extension of a family’s home. All of these activities bring their own challenges and risks."

Listen to all six episodes in this Cyber Risk Series: https://bit.ly/2ywSHuG

Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe and Oscar Diaz, Digital Communications at ABS Group

What is a business's responsibility for the general health and safety of its employees? Host Matt Mowrer, director of the Product Development and Innovation Center at ABS Group, talks with labor and employment partner Mike Correll from Reed Smith about COVID-19 business and legal issues.

As organizations return to work spaces, "there's going to be litigation about people who get sick, and there's going to be much more dangerous litigation about a failure to take appropriate steps after someone gets sick. How are you keeping track of who people have contact with, who are you sending home, how long are you sending them home for–all of those related issues are the biggest concern,"  Correll says.


About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. For more information, visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center at reedsmith.com.

About ABS Group:
ABS Group of Companies, Inc. (www.abs-group.com), through its operating subsidiaries, provides data-driven risk and reliability solutions and technical services that help clients confirm the safety, integrity, quality and efficiency of critical assets and operations. Headquartered in Spring, Texas, ABS Group operates with more than 1,000 professionals in over 20 countries serving the marine and offshore, oil, gas and chemical, government and industrial sectors. ABS Group is a subsidiary of ABS, one of the world's leading marine and offshore classification societies.


Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe and Oscar Diaz, Digital Communications at ABS Group

Episode 4: Cyber Risk Series - "The best loss is the loss that never occurs—whether that is a cyber incident or traditional marine peril-based loss like a grounding or collision. Premiums reflect loss experience, so with fewer losses you’re going to pay a lower premium." – John Miklus, President of American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU).

Is cyber risk covered in your marine insurance plan? How does the insurance industry define cyber risk? Listen as host Ian Bramson, global head of Cyber Security, talks cyber security in the insurance space with AIMU President John Miklus.

Listen to all six episodes in the Cyber Risk Series: https://bit.ly/2ywSHuG


About AIMU:
The American Institute of Marine Underwriters (AIMU) has over 100 hundred years of service as the trade association representing the United States ocean marine insurance industry as an advocate, educator and information center. AIMU ensures that U.S. marine insurers are heard by lawmakers, regulators and international bodies. It testifies before congressional committees and works closely with organizations and participates in coalitions focused on improving safety and preventing cargo-related crime. AIMU is the forum for action on the significant issues that affect U.S. marine insurers, reinsurers and the international trade community.

About ABS Group:
ABS Group of Companies, Inc. (www.abs-group.com), through its operating subsidiaries, provides data-driven risk and reliability solutions and technical services that help clients confirm the safety, integrity, quality and efficiency of critical assets and operations. Headquartered in Spring, Texas, ABS Group operates with more than 1,000 professionals in over 20 countries serving the marine and offshore, oil, gas and chemical, government and industrial sectors. ABS Group is a subsidiary of ABS, one of the world's leading marine and offshore classification societies.

Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe and Oscar Diaz, Digital Communications at ABS Group

Episode 3: Cyber Risk Series - "In emergency management, does cyber security have a role? Absolutely. The real question is will you realize it soon enough before you have an emergency inside of your emergency." After responding to eight major Gulf Coast hurricanes together as facility security officers, Bryan Markland of Lucite International shares current cyber insights with intelligence professional and veteran Brian Shajari, a cyber security assessor at ABS Group. Revisit our first episode with the U.S. Coast Guard for more information about how the government is responding to cyber threats to maritime and offshore operations.

Listen to all six episodes in the Cyber Risk Series: https://bit.ly/2ywSHuG


About Lucite International:
Lucite International is the global leader in the design, development and manufacture of acrylic-based products and a group company of Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation.

About ABS Group:
ABS Group of Companies, Inc. (www.abs-group.com), through its operating subsidiaries, provides data-driven risk and reliability solutions and technical services that help clients confirm the safety, integrity, quality and efficiency of critical assets and operations. Headquartered in Spring, Texas, ABS Group operates with more than 1,000 professionals in over 20 countries serving the marine and offshore, oil, gas and chemical, government and industrial sectors. ABS Group is a subsidiary of ABS, one of the world's leading marine and offshore classification societies.

Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe and Oscar Diaz, Digital Communications at ABS Group

Episode 2: Let’s talk Risk Perception as we confront COVID-19. Go behind-the-scenes in this episode to understand how risk professionals assess public safety threats using real-life data to debunk some of our common fears. Applying an objective lens is crucial in knowing how to manage risk in times of uncertainty. 

About the hosts:

“As we look at and discuss all things related to risk, this conversation focuses on how we perceive different types of risk,” says host Jake Stenzler, Vice President of Government services at ABS Group. Stenzler leads a division that has done a significant amount of work helping to establish some of the highest profile and most widely used risk models for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA and the Coast Guard. 

Matt Mowrer, Director of Product Development and Innovation, has led the advancement of risk methodologies and models to manage a variety of hazardous situations carrying enormous impact to health, safety and the environment. “This becomes a fascinating study of how we communicate risk and how we perceive risk,” says Mowrer. “Our goal is to provide objective data about risk to decision-makers as we structure ways to think about risk…so if I come across as callous in this discussion, it’s just part of it.”

About ABS Group:
ABS Group of Companies, Inc. (www.abs-group.com), through its operating subsidiaries, provides data-driven risk and reliability solutions and technical services that help clients confirm the safety, integrity, quality and efficiency of critical assets and operations. Headquartered in Spring, Texas, ABS Group operates with more than 1,000 professionals in over 20 countries serving the marine and offshore, oil, gas and chemical, government and industrial sectors. ABS Group is a subsidiary of ABS, one of the world's leading marine and offshore classification societies.

Produced by Nancy Dunnahoe and Oscar Diaz, Digital Communications at ABS Group