Cyber Security Awareness for Crew & Staff of Merchant Vessels

Fully Online ABS Approved Course for Building Cyber Awareness Among Merchant Vessel Crew and Staff & Understanding Personal Risks from Social Media, Hacking, and Identity Theft

Buy Course for £45^+VAT

Course Brochure

Awareness of cyber-security threats among Merchant Vessel crew and staff is often limited, leaving vessels, personnel, guests, and the company vulnerable to potential attacks and data misuse. A lack of understanding can result in security breaches and the theft of sensitive personal information. By educating crew and staff on these risks, particularly those linked to social media, hacking, and identity theft, overall security for the vessel, its people, and the organisation can be significantly strengthened.

About the Course

The Cyber Security Awareness for Crew & Staff of Merchant Vessels course offers a comprehensive introduction to the cyber threats faced by the crew and staff of Merchant Vessels, along with guidance on risk management and cyber-security compliance. VIRSEC also provides this course tailored to the Luxury Yacht Sector.

Course Aim

The aim of this course developed by VIRSEC, is to equip crew and staff with essential knowledge to help them secure their personal devices, protect sensitive data, and recognise onboard equipment that may be susceptible to cyber threats. The course also outlines measures within the vessel’s Safety Management System (SMS) designed to enhance the vessel’s resilience against cyber risks.

Target Audience

This Cyber Security Awareness for Merchant Vessel Crew is designed for crew and staff aboard Merchant Vessels, Offshore Mobile Drill Platforms, Wind Farms, and Ferries who access social media, websites, and other potentially vulnerable applications on personal or shipboard devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. It is also valuable for guests and vessel owners, providing an understanding of the cyber risks involved and practical guidance on how to help mitigate these risks through personal cyber-security measures while on board.

Course Subjects

The following are the main subject heading for the course. There are many sub-headed areas contained within this course covering an impressive amount of content relevant to the crew & staff.

Course Introduction Area
Cyber Risk Management
The Foundation for IMO 2021
Compliance Requirements for IMO 2021
Crew Training & Awareness Requirements
Maintaining a Safe & Secure Social Media Environment
Geographical Security for High-Value Assets with a Focus on Cyber Security

Why Take This Course

The course is relevant to the crew and staff who work on merchant vessels
Subjects covered encourage crew and staff to consider the threats associated with personal social media accounts, ID theft, misuse of data, etc.
Decrease the vulnerability of the ship to acts of Cyber-related security issues for crew, staff, owners and guests where applicable
The course is fully online, accessible via a reliable internet connection, or available as an offline course via a downloadable App.
Full set of course notes available as a secure PDF download for use as revision material
Follows a detailed course outline developed by industry experts
Focuses on the prevention of cyber security-related incidents and mitigation strategy

Course Certificate

This course has been fully Approved under the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). After successfully completing the course and any related assessment, learners can download and save their ABS Approved certificate in PDF format.

Course Duration

The course takes approximately 1.5 hours to complete, depending on the learner’s pace and reading speed. Learners may enter and exit the course as needed; however, the assessment must be completed in a single sitting, as exiting during an assessment will reset it.

Prerequisites

There are no pre-requisites for attending this online course.

Bulk Purchase Deals

VIRSEC offers scalable bulk discounts on courses for teams of any size. Larger groups receive greater savings. To discuss your requirements and get a personalised quote, contact our training team at training@virsec.org or call +44 (0)161 763 4427.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Can you take the course online or offline?

We provide you with the option to complete the course entirely online, as expected. Or via an offline capability accessible through an app, via Google Play or the Apple App Store. You can download the course to the app and study even while at sea or in areas with poor internet connectivity. Once you return to land or a location with good signal quality, you can upload the course to the system and synchronise it with your user area on the LMS [https://virseclms.org]. For further information on accessing the course(s) offline, please reach out to us at training@virsec.org.

How long do I have to complete my online course?

All our courses have a six (6) month access licence applied to them. This licence commences the day the course is purchased, and not from the day you first access the course. You may however enter and exit the course as often as you like until both the course and assessment(s) are completed.

Do I need to take notes on the course?

No, VIRSEC provides you with a comprehensive set of Course Notes that you can download during the course. You can also use these notes to research any answers when taking the Course Assessment.

Can I take breaks, or do I need to complete the course in one sitting?

You can take a break from the course at any time of your choosing. We also recommend that you have regular breaks and often build reminders into our courses. It is strongly recommended that if you are going to take a significant break, you should log out to prevent the system closing and not saving your progress. If you log out correctly, the system will remember your progress so you may continue from that point when you log back in.

Is there an Assessment after the course?

On the Course we have an Assessment on completion of the related Learning Outcomes. You must achieve a minimum score of 70% to enable you to pass the course. The Assessment consist of randomly selected multiple-choice questions and true or false response questions drawn from question banks. Additional details on assessments are available in the FAQs section of this page. It is an ‘open book’ based assessment, and you are allowed to use any notes made, or the official course notes downloads available to you during the assessment to research the correct answers.

Can I use my notes during an Official Assessment?

This is an ‘open book’ type assessment, and it is permissible to use any notes made, or the official course notes downloads available to you during the assessment to research the correct response or responses.

Do I need to submit any documentation?

No, you are not required to submit any documentation.

Do I need to attend a Test Centre to take my Course Assessment?

No, the course is 100% online including the assessment part.

Do I need an Invigilator when taking my Course Assessment?

No, there is no requirement for an invigilator.

What happens if I fail the Course Assessment?

If you fail the Assessment, you may retake it again straight away, or whenever you wish within the 6-month licence applicable to your course [licences commence the day the course is purchased, not the date they are accessed].

How do I receive my certificate when I pass?

When you complete the course correctly and pass the Course Assessment you will be able to open and save the Course certificate from your Learner Portal in the Certificates area of the dashboard

Is VIRSEC open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for Support?

You are able to purchase courses and take them 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, as we are an online company, with access to both our e-Commerce website and Learning Management System [LMS]. However, the company is open during the hours listed on its website [0900 to 1700 hrs GMT/BST Monday to Thursday, 0900 to 1500 hrs Friday, Closed Saturday & Sunday and Bank Holidays]. Limited out of hours support is available for minor issues. However, major support issue requests may be made, but will be managed during these listed office hours when the technical team are available.

Is there an Online Chat Facility for Support Requests?

VIRSEC do have a Chat Facility on their website, and you may make a request for support. However, this is only manned during the hours listed on its website [0900 to 1700 hrs GMT/BST Monday to Thursday, 0900 to 1500 hrs Friday, Closed Saturday & Sunday and Bank Holidays]. Responses to comments or enquiries may take up to 24 hours, or until the next working day as detailed.