Maritime Cyber
Security Awareness
Online Course
Equip yourself with the knowledge to protect maritime assets from cyber threats — recognizing the risks, maintaining robust cyber hygiene and responding when something goes wrong.
Cyber hygiene, made part of the daily routine
This comprehensive training programme is designed to equip seafarers, shipboard personnel and shore-based teams with the critical knowledge needed to protect maritime assets from cyber threats.
Focused on enhancing cyber security awareness onboard, the course emphasizes the importance of maintaining robust cyber "hygiene" to safeguard both personal and operational systems.
By exploring potential cyber risks and introducing effective mitigation strategies, participants gain a solid foundation in maritime cyber security and learn to contribute actively to a secure operational environment.
Developed by experienced maritime professionals
Our courses are developed by experienced maritime professionals and are designed to provide practical knowledge and competency-based learning for today's maritime industry. On successful completion, participants receive a certificate issued by the Virtual Maritime Academy, recognized worldwide as evidence of professional development and competency.
A digital certificate is delivered by email; a printed version can be mailed to your address for a $20 fee on request.
On successful completion, you will be able to:
These are the learning objectives established in the course syllabus, Revision 1, 2025.
- ✓Identify the cyber risks specific to the maritime industry, including threats from external hackers, malware and phishing schemes.
- ✓Recognize where those threats originate and the specific vulnerabilities that ships and shore offices face.
- ✓Understand the operational, financial and reputational consequences a cyber incident can have on individuals, ship operations and the wider organization.
- ✓Explain the responsibilities of the shore office in maintaining cyber security standards, and the best practices that protect ship systems from ashore.
- ✓Coordinate and communicate effectively between shore-based personnel and the ship's crew.
- ✓Perform a vulnerability assessment to determine a ship's exposure to cyber risk.
- ✓Evaluate onboard systems, identify potential weak points and implement protective measures.
- ✓Apply cyber hygiene practices onboard — secure password management, regular software updates and safe use of personal devices.
- ✓Recognize and respond to cyber threats in real time using a step-by-step approach to detection and response.
- ✓Contribute actively to a secure operational environment on board and ashore.
Seven chapters and a final assessment
Each chapter concludes with a short multiple-choice quiz to reinforce key learning objectives. Select a chapter to read what it covers.
—Introduction au cours
01Objectifs
02Chapter 1 — Cyber Threats in the Maritime Domain
03Chapter 2 — Implications, Roles and Responsibilities
04Chapter 3 — Cyber Hygiene and Threat Response
05Études de cas
06Liste de contrôle en cybersécurité
FAL'examen Final
Download the course syllabus here — Revision 1, 2025.
This course is designed for professionals involved in the operation, security or management of maritime assets, building a proactive defence against emerging cyber threats.
Globally recognized & industry approved
Our courses are developed by experienced maritime professionals and designed to provide practical, competency-based learning that meets internationally recognized standards for training excellence.
CPD Approved Provider #783378A final assessment with a minimum score of 70%
Each chapter concludes with multiple-choice questions, followed by a final assessment with a required passing score of 70%. The final assessment is fully online with no classroom attendance. A computer or tablet with a webcam and a reliable internet connection is required.
As required by Transport Canada, DNV and the CPD Group, students complete a simple online verification form from within the course, submitting a scanned copy of an official government-issued photo ID such as a passport or driver’s licence.
Grounded in the instruments that govern maritime cyber risk
Cyber risk is a safety management obligation, not an IT matter. This course addresses the instruments and frameworks that set cyber risk management requirements for ships and shipping companies.
Know the threat before it reaches the bridge
Most maritime cyber incidents start with an ordinary action — a click, a USB stick, a reused password. This course shows where the threats come from, what a breach actually costs, how to assess your own exposure and what to do in the first minutes of an incident.
This course builds that competence — completed entirely online, in approximately 4 hours, at your own pace.
Revision 1, 2025. Digital certificate by email; printed copy available on request for $20.