Antwerp raises cyber defences in response to attack

The task force will work alongside CERT, the Belgian federal cyber emergency team, and involve Antwerp Port Community System (APCS), a group established at the port to standardise and share IT applications between companies. "The fight won't be easy," said John Kerkhof of APCS. "The taskforce will mainly work pre-emptively, by sharing best practices and learning from each other's experience."

In recent months, a security-boosting MSC Container Release System has been made available port-wide. "The great advantage of this application is that the crucial information needed to collect a container is not made up until the very last stage. Previously this information appeared earlier in the chain, so that various people could access it, thus increasing the chances of nefarious action," explained Karel Vanderheyden of Avantida, the IT partner that helped to develop the technology.

One of the most crucial security issues to address at the port will be the attitude of its users. The serious attack that led to the task force's formation began with malicious code being sent attached to emails, which granted remote access to the systems of some companies at the port. "The best antivirus is the user. Technology alone will not stand in the way of criminal organisations," Kerkhof emphasises. "We all have to realise what difference we ourselves can make by being alert in our online environment. Cyber-security is the responsibility of every IT user."

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