Container ships easy to hack, track, send off course and even sink, security experts say

the Security Ledger ^ | July 5, 2018 | Elizabeth Montalbano

[iontheball]

Modern container ships already face a number of serious perils at sea. Now new research from Pen Test Partners shows just how vulnerable these ships are to new dangers from hacking–including being steered off course and sunk–thanks to their use of always-on satellite communications and general lax security practices on board.

[iontheball]

I posted this article elsewhere this morning in a comment, but on reflection, I believe it is important enough to separately post. Note the date (2018) of the article, which indicates how long ago hacking of cargo ships' electronic operating systems have been on some people's radar. Separately, here is a Business Insider article (Mar. 8, 2024) that points out the incredible circumstance of the U.S. buying our port cranes from China. They have found very questionable electronics on these cranes, electronics that seem to have nothing to do with operating the crane. https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-found-chinese-built-cranes-us-potential-security-risk-2024-3

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Yet the “FBI” cleared this as not terrorism within two hours…

[who_would_fardels_bear]

How long before they go from instantly rejecting terrorism because they don’t want Americans to cast aspersions on people of the same religion/ethnicity, to immediately saying this MUST be a case of terrorism by white supremacists?

[SaveFerris]

Yeah ....🤔🤔🤔

[Getready]

Uh, maybe stop putting hackable electronic controls everywhere. Maybe?
Drive by wire. Fly by wire. Ship by wire. Heating controls by wire. Financials by wire. House energy management by wire. Security by wire. Military equipment by wire.

There has gotta be some school where computer hacking is a declared major. Probably taught online.

[srmanuel]

Meanwhile the FBI is devoted to tracking down 1/6 people with unprecedented resources while neglecting counterterrorism efforts and now we have ships running into bridges and bringing them down

[wally_bert]

Hackthebox.com is one.

I signed up a couple of weeks ago and plan to do some of the classes this weekend.

[hardspunned]

I wonder what the guys on the bridge of the ship at the time have to say about that? I guess we’ll have to break out the Magic 8 Balls and Ouija Boards to find out.

[BenLurkin]

Related?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Suez_Canal_obstruction

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Hard to say what the difference is between losing control of the helm for power reasons vs having it taken from your controls by hacking…

[Retain Mike]

Wonderful, the ability to instantly obtain manual control of a ship has disappeared. How pathetic that something that huge can on its own run off like a puppy on a white rug.

[iontheball]

Yet the “FBI” cleared this as not terrorism within two hours…
________________________
Whenever I hear our government, who still hasn’t squared with us on the most foul assassination of JFK, tells me they immediately know there was no terrorism in the Dali ship collision or, separately, claim to immediately know that the Russian concert shooting was ISIS, my radar rightfully goes up. I hear Gen. Michael Flynn has called the Baltimore Bridge ship collision a ‘Black Swan’ event. What does he know?

[PA Presbyterian]

From the article, this statement:

“In the other scenario, researchers showed just how easy it is to exploit a ship’s OT system, which is used to control much of the critical control infrastructure on board, including the steering gear, engines and ballast pumps.”

Research on made-in-China transformers being used in the electrical grid here shows that they have back door entry points that allows the Chinese to hack them. Municipalities are being told not to allow them to be installed.

[Lurker]

Thanks.

L

[GOPJ]

Now new research from Pen Test Partners shows just how vulnerable these ships are to new dangers from hacking–including being steered off course and sunk–thanks to their use of always-on satellite communications and general lax security practices on board.

Biden will put some idiot sexual weirdo high school drop out in charge of dealing with this problem... afterall only 'diversity/kink/Kolor or Kin' matters.

[wally_bert]

NP.

Hackthebox registration was a pain but there is a workaround in their forum.

For me it was the last step, think it was a Captcha that would never show up.

[doc maverick]

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/mar/25/nsa-fears-quantum-surprise-if-this-black-swan-even/

“The black swan theory or theory of black swan events is a metaphor that describes an event that comes as a surprise, has a major effect, and is often inappropriately rationalized after the fact with the benefit of hindsight.”

[MeganC]

“Yet the “FBI” cleared this as not terrorism within two hours…”

If it were terrorism then the ship would have hit the bridge during rush hour with thousands of people stuck in traffic on it.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

If it were terrorism then the ship would have hit the bridge during rush hour with thousands of people stuck in traffic on it.

Resounding maybe.