MARITIME RISK SYMPOSIUM
Thomas Scriven
Bio Coming Soon!
Charting the Unknown: From Asset Discovery to Strategic Resilience
Session Abstract
As digitalization deepens across ports and fleets, visibility is the first line of defense. This panel explores how effective asset discovery and risk analysis underpin maritime cyber resilience, connecting technical insight to strategic decision-making.
Session Takeaway
Attendees will gain practical frameworks for identifying hidden vulnerabilities and building adaptive defense strategies across complex maritime environments.
Session Speakers
Marco Ayala - Moderator
ABS Consulting
Marco "Marc" Ayala is Technical Director in the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at ABS Consulting, with over 30 years of experience in instrumentation, automation, control, and safety systems across energy, oil and gas, chemicals, maritime, and offshore industries. An ISA Fellow (2025) and ISA Executive Board member, he is recognized for advancing global standards and integrating cybersecurity with cloud, edge, and AI technologies. He has trained more than 1,000 professionals worldwide through multiple certification programs. Marc serves as President of the InfraGard Houston Members Alliance and InfraGard National Sector Chief for Energy, partnering with the FBI, CISA, and government stakeholders on critical infrastructure resilience. He is also Cyber & Threat Intel Chair for the AMSC Outer-Continental Shelf for the Gulf.
John Schott
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
Dr. John Schott is the Group Supervisor for the Cyber Dominance Group at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL), where he leads a diverse team of world-class staff that engineer, develop, and deliver novel capabilities and solutions to defeat evolving kinetic and non-kinetic threats to homeland and theater defense.
From 2020 – 2024, Dr. Schott was the Cybersecurity Project Manager at JHU/APL for the U. S. Navy’s Ship Self Defense System (SSDS). As the SSDS Cybersecurity Project Manager, he drove cybersecurity engineering into the Combat System design for SSDS Baseline 12. He also led the effort to develop the Cybersecurity Backfit Solution (CBS), a modular solution that incorporates situational awareness, advanced analytics, host cyber protections, and a network boundary into legacy SSDS baselines. Dr. Schott also led cybersecurity engineering efforts for the Shipboard Panoramic Electro-Optical Infra-Red (SPEIR) system, authoring requirements, designing a resilient and secure architecture, and executing two, early test events intended to validate the design.
Prior to joining JHU/APL, Dr. Schott was the G6/Chief Information Officer for the Maryland Army National Guard (MDARNG). He was instrumental in the early establishment of cybersecurity competencies for Joint and state-level operations, establishing a cyber response framework to support Maryland Military Department contingency plans. Dr. Schott also led MDARNG integration with state-wide, interoperable communications networks that would facilitate seamless communications between partner agencies throughout Maryland during emergencies. Dr. Schott deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2008 and Operation Nobel Eagle in 2003.
Dr. Schott earned a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, a Master of Science in Business Technology Management from Stevenson University, and a Doctor of Science in Cybersecurity from Capital Technology University. He is a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM).
Thomas Scriven
Mandiant, Part of Google Cloud
Bio Coming Soon!
Jay Mayer
InfraGard Energy Chief
Bio Coming Soon!
Michael DeVolld
ABS Consulting
Bio Coming Soon!
Julio Gonzalez
InfraGard
Bio Coming Soon!
