Ocean Cargo Supply Chains Remain Vulnerable to Cyber-Attacks, Say Experts

Global supply chain analysts note that recent cyber-attacks on ocean carriers have proven quite disruptive. Denmark’s Maersk Line incurred estimated damages of $300 million due to the global ransomware attack it suffered in 2017.

The latest attack on CMA CGM means that all the Big 4 shipping lines, including MSC and COSCO, have suffered recent disruptive cyber events.

On October 1, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) also announced a cyber-attack against its IT systems, leading to disruptions in its public website and internal systems.

“Companies shipping by sea should remain vigilant of cyber intrusions that target shipping lines,” said Daniel Boccio, Supply Chain Risk Analyst, Resilience360. “Supply chain managers and IT professionals should collaborate on identifying the potential vulnerabilities and threats to their supply chains and should implement measures to increase resiliency and minimize the impact of such threats.”

On September 28, French container transportation and shipping company CMA CGM announced that it fell victim to a cyber-attack on its peripheral servers.

The company has over 480 vessels, operating 200 shipping routes between 420 ports in 150 different countries.

The attack led to limited IT availability across the group, sans CEVA Logistics, due to the company halting external access to applications to prevent the spread of the malware. The company later announced that it also suspects a data breach and the nature and the volume of the affected information.

Jon Monroe, president of Jon Monroe Consulting, notes that when CMA was hit with a ransomware attack, it shut down systems and caused further chaos in the pacific trade.

“The extra loaders in July served to move a massive volume of containers from one side of the pacific to the other side (U.S.) creating an equipment problem the likes of which we have never seen before,” he says. “In the middle of a pandemic, carriers are still raising rates and adding surcharges where they can, effectively taking money out of the U.S. economy.”

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