Hack the boat
What happens when a vessel gets hacked? See it. Stop it. Secure your vessel.
When one system goes down at sea, the whole mission is at risk. With Hack the Boat, we show how a single breach can sink operations, and how Zero Trust keeps you afloat.
Hack the Boat is a live cybersecurity demonstration by ON2IT and Damen Shipyards that exposes weaknesses in maritime operational technology. Using a scale model with real ship technology, ballast controls, AIS, and miniature container operations, it shows how a single breach can sink operations, and how Zero Trust keeps you afloat.
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Once safe by isolation. Not anymore.
Once considered safe due to isolation at sea, the maritime industry now faces significant attacks causing operational failures and financial losses. With our Hack the Boat demo, we highlight this issue and show how we can face and overcome it.
Naval vulnerabilities
Modern shipping operations rely heavily on both Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) for navigation, communication, and operational management. This reliance makes ships susceptible to cyber-attacks that target these technologies.
Hack the Boat demo
Cybercrime in the maritime industry is rising fast. Together with Damen Shipyards, we brought this urgent issue to the stage at the ONE Conference.
The mix of OT and IT aboard ships, often open, outdated, and unencrypted, looks like an open invitation to hackers. So how do we stop today’s threats from becoming tomorrow’s crises?
Resilience starts with action: secure legacy systems, segment IT and OT networks, modernize encryption, and train maritime crews in cybersecurity. Addressing both tech and human factors is key to safer seas.
Our live demo makes it real, with actual tech, hands-on experience, and a red team vs. blue team scenario that shows what’s at stake, and how to fight back.
Request a demoThree sides of the same attack
Actual ship systems, at scale
The experience features actual technology found aboard container ships, such as ballast controls and the AIS system. The scale model comes with scale versions of real ship operations and miniature containers.
Hack the ship yourself
For those more tech-savvy, the Hack the Boat demo comes with the opportunity for hacking the ship’s systems yourselves. Do you have what it takes to capsize our scale model?
Attack and defend, side by side
This environment is perfect for RED versus BLUE exercises, where participants can challenge themselves in both attacking and defending critical infrastructure.
Two attacks. Both real.
Every Hack the Boat demo walks through concrete attack chains, executed live against real maritime systems on our scale model.
Advanced Identification System (AIS) manipulation
Automated ballast system breach
Lessons from the polder
What do Dutch waterworks have to do with cybersecurity? Everything.
For centuries, the Netherlands has mastered risk management through its famous polder model: building dikes, segmenting land, and preventing catastrophic flooding.
Questions & answers
Everything to know before booking a Hack the Boat session for your team, a conference, or a private event.
What is Hack the Boat?
Hack the Boat is a live cybersecurity demonstration by ON2IT, in cooperation with Damen Shipyards, that exposes weaknesses in maritime operational technology (OT) environments. Using a scale model with actual ship technology like ballast controls and the AIS system, it shows how a single breach can sink operations and how Zero Trust protects vessels.
Is Hack the Boat a real ship or a simulation?
The demonstration uses a scale model that features actual technology found aboard container ships, including ballast controls and the AIS (Advanced Identification System). The scale model comes with scale versions of real ship operations and miniature containers, so participants can hack real maritime systems safely.
Who is behind Hack the Boat?
Hack the Boat is a collaboration between ON2IT and Damen Shipyards. The demo was brought to the stage at the ONE Conference to highlight the urgent issue of cybercrime in the maritime industry.
What maritime OT systems are simulated in the demo?
Two headline scenarios are featured. The first is Advanced Identification System (AIS) manipulation, where attackers inject falsified data into the AIS feed, causing ghost ships on radar and navigation confusion. The second is an Automated Ballast System breach, where the ballast control network is infiltrated through an exposed maintenance interface, causing tanks to flood unevenly and tilting the vessel.
Can we book Hack the Boat for our organization?
Yes. The demo is available for private bookings and public appearances. It works well for Red versus Blue team exercises, where participants can challenge themselves in both attacking and defending critical infrastructure. Contact ON2IT to request a demo for your team.
Book your session
Tell us a little about your team and we’ll schedule a Hack the Boat walkthrough, either at the ON2IT HQ, at your location, or virtually. Reply within one business day.