Cybersecurity
superyacht
supply chain risk
This week’s W’one Win Wednesday (WWW): Pay attention to the details.
Once upon a time, Kerio was the firewall of choice for 90%+ of superyachts over 40m. A recent poll we conducted showed that Kerio could now be on less than 50% of yachts. But which firewall is the new kid on the block?
Fortinet's FortiGate product line has risen to the top, and rightly so. Compared to Kerio, the next-gen firewall (NGFW) line-up has improved the security and capabilities of onboard networks. However, it is less familiar and more granular than Kerio, and I've received reports from crew that it has been challenging to achieve the same operational efficiency and ease that Kerio has always been known for.
Afterall, cybersecurity is a constant battle between security and convenience.
Despite Fortinet being a company trading in the billions, GFI (Kerio's parent company) trades comparably in the millions. There's a vast difference in their makeups. Despite being the larger company, Fortinet has recently faced numerous vulnerabilities affecting its products (click here to view the most recent FortiGate vulnerabilities) that customers have had to address. Kerio, on the other hand, hasn't had any vulnerabilities reported since January 2025 (click here to view the most recent Kerio vulnerabilities).
Picking a bigger brand doesn't always mean it's more secure.
No firewall alone = cybersecurity done well.
It's a great reminder: no matter the firewall or the device, you must pay attention to the details.
Patching is a detail.
A detail that Owners and guests won't notice is being done. They'll notice when not paying attention to this detail leads to an incident that requires them to be informed and to learn how easily it could have been avoided.
Speaking of patching, on Tuesday, Microsoft released security updates to address 59 flaws across its software, including six vulnerabilities that it said have been exploited in the wild. Read more here. Patch Windows devices onboard today!
Details, details, details...
Maybe yachties just aren't as detail-oriented as they think?
The most common reason I hear from yachties for not caring about cybersecurity is that it’s invisible to them. But that’s not entirely true.
After more than a decade providing technology solutions for superyachts, I’ve repeatedly come across a very visible risk that gets overlooked just as often.
When inspecting IT racks onboard, it was common to find equipment with exhaust fans that resembeld like the image above. Completely clogged with dust. Now this isn’t a hack, and it’s not what most people would call a “cyber risk”. But the impact can be exactly the same.
Picture this. You’re in the middle of a guest trip, and the main IT switch fails due to overheating. You don’t carry a spare. Suddenly, connectivity drops, systems go offline, crew operations are affected, and guests notice. The fallout mirrors a cyber incident almost perfectly.
How do you respond?
More importantly, how do you recover without guest complaints?
It was never technically my job, but when I saw this, I’d ask for a vacuum cleaner and clean it out. I’d also ask whoever is responsible for the equipment or the interior team to add a simple visual inspection and safe cleaning step to their checklist every few months. Small actions that prolong equipment life and prevent avoidable failures.
That’s what cybersecurity really is. Avoiding the avoidable.
Yes, much of it is invisible and hard to judge, which is why many only take it seriously after an incident. But there are also clear physical details onboard that directly affect reliability and resilience, and they’re often ignored.
Cybersecurity isn’t just about firewalls and hackers. It’s about paying attention to small details before they become big problems. If you wait until guests notice, you’re already too late.
Welcome to our weekly cyber briefing for superyacht crew, where I share some of the major developments, lessons learned and helpful guides to help you improve onboard cybersecurity. Make sure to follow my LinkedIn page and Anchorpoint's LinkedIn page to receive updates on the future of superyacht cybersecurity!
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About us: Anchorpoint is on a mission to cyber secure the superyacht industry. Learn more about Anchorpoint here: https://trustanchorpoint.com/