Threat Insights to Give Strategic Seaports a Security Boost

America’s seaports are essential to the nation’s economic health, serving as integral nodes in the country’s supply chain and as critical gateways for international trade.

Deputy National Security Advisor for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger noted during a White House press briefing earlier this year that America’s ports “contribute $5.4 trillion to our economy and are the main domestic point of entry for cargo entering the United States.” They are also vital to our national security.

Today, our ports face an increasing threat of both physical and cyberattacks from our adversaries. To address these threats, in February the Biden administration announced an initiative to enhance cybersecurity at U.S. ports through an Executive Order and other actions.

MITRE, in alignment with those efforts, has launched an internally funded research effort to strengthen these national assets against disruption.

One of MITRE’s long-term initiatives is to strengthen the resilience of our transportation infrastructure. “Our work on seaports, which rely on so many other transportation channels—such as rail and trucking—is one facet of that broader initiative,” says Debbie Naguy, who leads our seaport resilience efforts.

We’re starting with the ports the Department of Defense (DoD) has designated “strategic.” These ports play a key role in supporting the deployment, equipage, and resupply of the U.S. Armed Forces in times of war or national emergency.

We've selected one of the busiest ports in the country as an initial focus.

“That terminal is highly automated,” Naguy says. “Its automation supports operational functions like crane operations and physical access control, making the port a good case study to identify vulnerabilities to cyberattacks.”

Analyzing the Cyber Threat to Port Operations

“We’re performing a threat-informed cyber resilience analysis of the port’s Terminal Operating System, which is essentially the command and control of port operations and key to maritime logistics,” says Marie Collins, who is leading this effort.

“We’re also applying a previous analysis of another port’s crane network,” adds Adam Hahn, the technical lead on the project. Cranes have become a key security focus because of their critical role in port operations and the global supply chain risks associated with ship-to-shore cranes from China.

Additionally, MITRE has been given access to the port’s digital twin—an offline system that replicates the entire physical and operational environment of the port, including its infrastructure, equipment, and logistics processes. “With the digital twin, we can not only see typical operations, but we can also simulate different scenarios,” Naguy explains. “That’s another tool that’s helping us determine where vulnerabilities are and how we might mitigate them.”

The team’s findings will have much broader reach than the individual ports under study.

“Our intent is to develop best practices we can share with other strategic seaports—and ultimately all ports—on ways they can minimize their risk and increase their resilience,” Naguy says. Research results are also expected to inform government agencies’ future resource decisions for improving security at the nation’s ports.

Assessing Seaport Risks and Priorities Across the Broader Transportation Infrastructure

In a parallel effort, the research team is using a MITRE-developed capability to assess the systems or infrastructure an adversary would be most likely to strike and the impact such an attack would have on a port’s functionality.

This capability—Contested Logistics Infrastructure Resiliency, or CLIR—assesses vulnerabilities across the port ecosystem.

“Our seaports are very reliant on intermodal transportation,” Naguy explains. “Without our ground transportation and seaways, the seaports would be inoperable. As a result, the DoD, the Department of Homeland Security [DHS], the U.S. Coast Guard, and other agencies all have an interest in understanding and protecting the entire interconnected system.”

“CLIR can examine the system from a variety of points of view,” says Samuel Billingham, the system’s developer. “For instance, the CLIR model can use commodity data to determine areas of greatest risk for the flow of vital resources, such as coal or gas.”

The team leveraged another MITRE capability—the Multimodal U.S. Transportation Analytic Environment—to obtain data on the movement of cargo among various interdependent modes of transportation, such as roadway networks and maritime channels.

“We’re looking at how much is flowing in via road, how much by ship, and what railways, bridges, or tunnels are most essential,” adds Naguy.

Likewise, CLIR can examine risk from a national security perspective, assessing where the biggest threats would be to troop deployments or the shipment of military supplies.

“The idea is that, by identifying possible vulnerabilities, port operators and stakeholders can strategically plan, focusing their attention and resources on the most significant threats,” Billingham says.

Providing a Whole-of-Government View of Seaport Resilience

The team will share its initial findings at a MITRE-hosted Resilient Seaports Conference in mid-September, with final results and recommendations expected by the end of the year.

The conference is emblematic of a key MITRE role: connector. Seaport security impacts many government entities, from DoD and DHS to the Department of Transportation, Naguy notes. But each organization tends to look at the issue from its own perspective.

“We support all these entities, so we can break down those silos and bring all the relevant stakeholders together to examine the challenges and formulate solutions from a whole-of-nation perspective. That’s one of MITRE’s greatest strengths.”