Cyber attacks 'as big a threat to new warships as missiles and torpedoes'

The Telegraph ^ | 06 August 2015 | Ben Farmer

[sukhoi-30mki]

Hackers and cyber attacks pose as great a threat to Britain's hi-tech warships of the future as missiles and torpedoes, the man in charge of building the Navy’s new frigate has warned.

Increasing levels of computer control and automation mean protecting vessels against electronic attack has become a focus of shipbuilding for the Navy.

The new Type-26 Global Combat Ship, which is designed to be the workhorse of the Royal Navy when it is built, has been designed to protect its weapons, engines and systems from cyber warfare.

Geoff Searle, head of the Type-26 programme at BAE Systems, said: “It is an equally important threat to the more traditional threats and one that we take very seriously and design the ship to be confident it can withstand that.”

The Navy is calling for 13 of the long-awaited ships to replace the fleet’s current Type 23 Frigates. The Ministry of Defence has yet to place an order or agree a price, but in February signed a £859 million deal to finalise the design and start building turbines, gearboxes and weapons systems for the first three ships.

Mr Searle said cyber attack “is a real threat, certainly, it’s something we take very seriously, particularly areas of the combat system, communications systems, power and propulsion control systems.

“We put a lot of effort into ensuring the security of those systems from a software, from a communications point of view.”

He went on: “It’s certainly had a growing focus in the design of ships in recent years. I think we all recognise that the cyber threat affects a lot of areas of business and industry and security, so it is a real emerging threat of recent years.”

[sukhoi-30mki]

A computer-generated image of how the new Type 26 vessels will look Photo: BAe Systems/MoD/PA

[dhs12345]

You’d think that the designers would have considered the possibility.

[Nep Nep]

Cyber vulnerabilities in systems which were rock-solid mechanical engineering before the first PC came to market are so baffling to me. What benefit is there that’s worth the risk? Whether in a weapons system, or a car, or a refrigerator, putting these things on a network makes no sense whatsoever.

[BobinIL]

Beware of Cylons

[Tench_Coxe]

All it takes is a ‘Number 6” having her insider boyfriend giving her access to implant a virus into the Colonial defense mainframe....

[rmlew]

They are nicer than most American ships. It is a shame would don’t co-develop and build a few dozen to supplement our Arleigh Burkes.