FBI and Coast Guard board hacked tankers off the US coast

In late August, cyber specialists from the US Coast Guard, working alongside the FBI, boarded two oil tankers bound for the US coast. According to TechCrunch, citing a joint statement from the agencies, the move came amid suspicion that the networks of both vessels had been compromised — and in one case attackers had reportedly taken control of the navigation, propulsion and cargo-handling systems.

The operation took place in the Gulf of Mexico between August 21 and 24. In the agencies' words, the goal was to "ensure the integrity of the vessel's operational and information systems." The Coast Guard released several photos showing its personnel and FBI agents boarding one of the tankers. The captain, crew and the shipowner's shore-based staff, it noted, cooperated with the investigation.

A 2-million-barrel tanker

CBS News established that one of the ships is the VL Prosperity, a 333-meter tanker with a capacity of more than 2 million barrels of oil; it is currently in the Gulf of Mexico. According to CBS, citing Iranian media, the hack occurred back on August 7, while the vessel was sailing from Egypt to the US: hackers interfered with the speed and fuel-supply systems, and contact with the tanker was lost for more than a day.

The episode shows just how vulnerable global logistics can be. A modern tanker carries a sprawling network spanning the entire ship — one needed for navigation, cargo management and the routine operation of an enormous vessel — and it is precisely this complexity that turns it into a target.

An Iranian trail

Who is behind the attacks has not been officially established, but the US is investigating the possibility of Iranian involvement. According to CBS, Iranian hackers have carried out a whole series of attacks in recent months against the backdrop of the war waged by the US and Israel against Tehran. Among others cited are a destructive attack on medical equipment maker Stryker, the breach of the Los Angeles public transit system, and the compromise of more than a hundred water utilities across the country. CISA characterized these attacks as "opportunistic" in nature.

In their joint statement, the FBI and the Coast Guard stressed that there were no repercussions: no disruptions to the ships' operations, no loss of their stability, no threat to the crews and no environmental damage were recorded. A Coast Guard spokesperson did not immediately respond to TechCrunch's inquiry, including about the names of the vessels.

Source: TechCrunch