Coast Guard, FBI boarded tanker after attack by ‘foreign cyber actors’
US Coast Guard and FBI boarded an oil tanker after foreign hackers compromised its network; VL Prosperity reportedly lost communications for 30 hours.
The US Coast Guard confirmed that a specialized team including USCG Cyber Protection Team members and FBI Cyber Action Team operators boarded a tanker on August 21 after indications its network was compromised by foreign cyber actors. Bloomberg identified one vessel as VL Prosperity; Iranian state-linked outlet Mehr reported it lost communications for 30 hours after an August 7 attack while transiting the Strait of Gibraltar, with a crew member alleging attackers increased engine speed and disabled fuel and engine-oil tanks. No operational disruptions or environmental impacts were reported, no group has claimed responsibility, and Russian analysts linked the incident to US-Iran tensions. A day before the alleged attack, North Carolina Ports reported a cyberattack that forced a shift to manual operations.
- USCG Cyber Protection Team and FBI Cyber Action Team boarded the vessel August 21
- VL Prosperity allegedly lost communications for 30 hours; engine controls reportedly manipulated
- No operational disruptions, vessel instability, or environmental impacts reported so far
- North Carolina Ports suffered a separate cyberattack forcing manual operations
- No group has claimed responsibility; speculation ties attacks to US-Iran conflict
- Organizations
- U.S. Coast GuardFBINorth Carolina Ports
- Countries
- United StatesIran
From the original article
3 min read at therecord.mediaU. S. personnel boarded an oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico to “ensure integrity of the vessel’s operational and information technology systems," after an apparent cyberattack, the U.
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