ClassNK Endorses CYTUR-SBOM Cybersecurity Platform
ClassNK has granted an Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to CYTUR-SBOM, a web-based cybersecurity management platform for shipboard systems.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Software
ClassNK has granted an Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to CYTUR-SBOM, a web-based platform that records hardware, software, and firmware information for vessels. The platform is designed to operate alongside CYTUR's SC-P portable network scanner.
Why it matters
The endorsement reflects ClassNK's Innovation Endorsement programme, which evaluates technologies with innovative functions. It signals growing attention to cybersecurity management for computer-based systems onboard ships.
CYTUR-SBOM assesses individual assets against security capability checklists and identifies publicly recorded vulnerabilities using the National Vulnerability Database, with access managed through separate reading and writing user roles. The endorsement excludes Chapters 4 and 5 of Part X and does not certify compliance with IACS UR E26 Rev.1 or UR E27 Rev.1.
The players
ClassNK
ClassNK is Japan's classification society, a non-governmental organization that sets and enforces technical standards for ship construction and survey.
CYTUR
CYTUR is the developer of the CYTUR-SBOM platform and the SC-P portable network scanner used alongside it.
The details
CYTUR-SBOM records hardware, software, and firmware information and provides visibility into a ship's network topology. It retains security assessment results, vulnerability identification records, and document generation histories, and is designed to work with the SC-P portable network scanner that scans a vessel's onboard network.
Timeline
November 5, 2026: ClassNK's endorsement of CYTUR-SBOM was announced.
The Tech Race
The endorsement is explicitly distinct from compliance with IACS Unified Requirements UR E26 Rev.1 and UR E27 Rev.1, which govern shipboard cybersecurity. It positions CYTUR-SBOM as a management tool that operates alongside, rather than replacing, those formal certification pathways.
For ship operators, the platform offers a web-based way to track onboard hardware, software, and firmware and to check equipment against public vulnerability records. Operators should note that the endorsement does not replace compliance with IACS requirements or ClassNK's rule chapters that are excluded from its scope.
The takeaway
Ship operators evaluating cybersecurity tools should distinguish between a technology endorsement and formal rule compliance. An endorsement recognises innovative functionality but does not certify conformity with the specific IACS cybersecurity requirements.
Further reading
For broader context on related platforms, see the Software section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Container News.
