US tracking cyberthreats against nearly 20 ships worldwide
AI generated
WASHINGTON - US government agencies are tracking cyberthreats against nearly 20 shipping vessels around the world, according to US officials familiar with the situation.
uncertain
agencies → track → situation
The US Coast Guard has asked for advance notice if any of those ships plan to come into a US port, said the three people, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorised to speak publicly about the matter.
asserted
they → ask → matter
The vessels’ specific destinations and manifests were not immediately known.
asserted
destinations → know → ?
Several commercial vessels were targeted in potential cyberattacks in late August, one official at the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said, noting that hackers did not appear to have taken control of the targeted ships themselves.
asserted
hackers → target → ships
The Coast Guard is now tracking the vessels alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security units, a Homeland Security official said.
asserted
official → track → Security
Warnings about cyberattacks targeting the maritime sector have escalated in recent years with shipping vessels becoming increasingly dependent on digital systems for navigation, communications and other operations.
asserted
vessels → target → navigation
Governments and security researchers have repeatedly cautioned that hackers are seeking to exploit those systems to disrupt supply chains.
asserted
hackers → caution → chains
The cyberrisks are plaguing a global shipping industry already under strain from wars and geopolitical rivalries.
asserted
cyberrisks → plague → wars
The US Coast Guard said in a statement that it boarded two inbound foreign-flagged commercial vessels in the Gulf of Mexico to “ensure integrity of the vessel’s operational and information technology systems following indications that the networks of both vessels were compromised”.
asserted
networks → say → vessels
The first vessel was boarded on Aug 21 to mitigate threats and the second on Aug 24.
asserted
vessel → board → Aug
“Currently, there are no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to crews, or environmental impacts,” the Coast Guard said, adding that it’s actively communicating with port operators, vessel owners and other stakeholders.
asserted
it → be → operators
Antonio Cassidy, director of services at London-based maritime cybersecurity firm CyberOwl, said he had not seen any indication of a broader hacking campaign targeting oil and gas tankers.
asserted
he → base → tankers
But CyberOwl, which monitors cybersecurity on vessels, had observed a sharp increase in the number of incidents on ships in the first half of this year, Cassidy said.
asserted
Cassidy → monitor → year
In the case of more than half of the attempted intrusions that CyberOwl detected on the vessels it tracks, malware had been introduced to the vessels’ computers through storage devices, according to a company report.
uncertain
malware → attempt → report
Most of the others came by way of an internet download or phishing.
asserted
Most → come → download
In December, European investigators suspected Russian military hackers may have been behind a possible cyberattack on a vessel owned by MSC Mediterranean Shipping.
uncertain
hackers → suspect → Shipping
The ferry, operated by MSC’s Grandi Navi Veloci unit, was immobilised in the southern French port of Sete as it prepared to sail to Algeria, Bloomberg reported at the time.
asserted
Bloomberg → operate → time
In March 2025, a hacker group calling itself Lab Dookhtegan claimed responsibility for cyberattacks that disrupted communications systems on more than 100 Iranian oil tankers, according to the cybersecurity firm Cydome.
uncertain
that → call → firm
Operational systems such as those inside ships are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks because they contain old equipment that cannot easily be updated, said Maria Bartnes, cybersecurity research programme director at Norwegian cybersecurity company DNV.
asserted
Bartnes → contain → DNV
They were created at a time when the prospect of a cyberattack was less likely, she said.
asserted
she → create → cyberattack
The intrusions, she said, were likely as much about creating insecurity and instability as they were intended to cause actual damage.
asserted
they → say → damage
“That is part of the warfare”, she said, “making the enemy unsure about what is going on.
asserted
what → say → warfare
For the state, for politicians, for the people on board the vessels – it can affect everyone.”
asserted
it → affect → everyone
The Aporia
