Coast Guard, FBI board US-bound foreign ships in order to probe for cyberattacks
US Coast Guard and FBI boarded two foreign tankers bound for the US after indications their vessel networks were compromised, investigating possible Iranian involvement.
The Coast Guard and FBI conducted joint offshore security boardings of two commercial ships in the Gulf of Mexico on August 21 and 24 to examine their operational and IT systems following indications both networks were compromised. The vessels reportedly carried oil and natural gas, and one was hacked in the Strait of Gibraltar and lost communications for over 30 hours. No operational disruptions, vessel instability, or environmental impacts have been reported, and authorities are investigating whether Iran or another group exploiting US-Iran tensions was behind the attacks.
- Boarding teams included Coast Guard Cyber Protection Team and FBI Cyber Action Team operators
- One tanker was hacked in the Strait of Gibraltar and lost communications for 30+ hours
- No operational disruptions, vessel instability, or environmental impacts reported so far
- Investigators are probing possible Iranian involvement amid US-Iran tensions
- Coast Guard has previously investigated 'dark fleets' carrying sanctioned Iranian and Russian oil
- Threat actors
- Iran
- Victims
- foreign oil and gas tankers
- Organizations
- US Coast GuardFBI
- Countries
- United StatesIran
From the original article
3 min read at cyberscoop.com
The agencies issued a joint statement saying the “joint security boardings” came in response to “indications that the networks of both vessels were compromised.” The post Coast Guard, FBI board US-bound foreign ships in order to probe for cyberattacks appeared first on CyberScoop.
By Tim Starks · cyberscoop.com
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