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Towards a secure automatic identification system (AIS)

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Abstract

The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is the emerging system for automatic traffic control and collision avoidance services in the maritime transportation sector. It is one of the cornerstone systems for improved marine domain awareness and is embedded in e-navigation, e-bridging, and autonomous ships proposals. However, AIS has some security vulnerabilities that can be exploited to invade privacy of passengers, to launch intentional collision attacks by pirates and terrorists, etc. In this work, we explore how Identity-Based Public Cryptography and Symmetric Cryptography may enhance the security properties of the AIS.

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Notes

  1. e.g. http://www.marinetraffic.com.

  2. The MMSI (9-digits) is a number that, distinctively, identifies a vessel. The MMSI is assigned to all the radio communications of that vessel. The International Maritime Organization number (IMO-number) is, also, a distinctive identifier for the vessels and has the prefix “IMO” followed by 7-digits. The main difference is that the IMO-number is the only persistent identifier for a vessel, from the start of its life to the end of it. On the contrary, MMSI change when a vessel changes flag and registration authority.

  3. http://www.iala-aism.org/products-projects/e-navigation/.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Systems Security Laboratory, Department of Digital Systems, University of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece

    Athanassios Goudossis & Sokratis K. Katsikas

  2. Center for Cyber and Information Security, Department of Information Security and Communications Technology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Gjøvik, Norway

    Sokratis K. Katsikas

Authors
  1. Athanassios Goudossis
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  2. Sokratis K. Katsikas
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Correspondence to Sokratis K. Katsikas.

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Goudossis, A., Katsikas, S.K. Towards a secure automatic identification system (AIS). J Mar Sci Technol 24, 410–423 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00773-018-0561-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00773-018-0561-3

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