At the SITL, France PCS and Orange Cyberdefence announced the roll-out of a shared security operations centre to safeguard French port community systems (PCS).

This partnership aims to strengthen the cyber resilience of French ports against cyber-attacks. Indeed, the European Union has adopted the NIS 2 Directive, which requires ‘sensitive’ companies and organisations to strengthen their protection against cyberattacks, a veritable ‘technological war’. This directive is currently being transposed into French law.

Within the framework of the GIE France PCS, SOGET and MGI have therefore joined forces with Orange Cyberdefence, an operator of a shared Security Operations Centre (SOC) certified as a PDIS by ANSSI, to meet these requirements.

Cyber security is a strategic imperative

Ludovic Jamart, Director of Consulting and Audit at Orange Cyberdefence, explains that cyber protection for ports is crucial to guaranteeing national sovereignty and the resilience of maritime trade. A cyberattack on a PCS could disrupt the entire port operation and have serious economic repercussions.

France PCS and Orange Cyberdefence are developing a tailored solution for port logistics operators. The first phase of the project covers the French PCSs of France PCS members: S)One (Soget) and Ci5 (MGI). ClearFrance, the future shared platform for French PCSs, will be integrated into this scope. In a second phase, the scope may be extended to the IT departments of port authorities, stakeholders and companies within the port ecosystem to broaden the scope of detection of potential attacks, capitalise on insights and enhance the responsiveness of the entire ecosystem.

The benefits of the shared SOC are numerous: a broader range of incident detection; enhanced security and reliability of members’ IT services; and increased responsiveness in the event of an attack through the effective use of intelligence.

It fits perfectly within the CleanFrance project, which aims to develop a common platform for French port and shipping centres (PCS). Furthermore, it meets the objectives of the National Port Strategy and strengthens the capabilities of stakeholders in logistics and international trade.