Posted on 12/29/2020 10:27:47 AM PST by Capt. Tom
Carnival-owned Aida Cruises is suffering from major IT issues and does seem to be a possible cyberattack. This could now be the third major cyberattack against a cruise line this year and shows a worrying trend on keeping systems secure.
Aida Cruises IT Issues, What We Know So Far The cruise line has already stated on its Facebook page that it’s currently being affected by IT issues but has not yet detailed anything specific. However, Cruise Law News reports a possible cyberattack after crew members got in touch about the matter.
Ransomware is a likely cause and also seems to be affected systems of sister line Costa Cruises. According to German-based Bild, AIDAmar captain Tönnies Kohrs announced over the public PA system confirming the IT issues and that the entire fleet is affected along with the office back in Rostock.
The cruise line’s e-mail and phone lines are down, and Bleeping Computer reports that Costa Cruises’ booking system is also not available. There is no doubt the IT problems have a major impact, and AIDA Cruises is also unable to go ahead with its New Year cruises.
Here’s what Aida Cruises stated on its social media:
Dear AIDA fans, unfortunately, we are currently affected by IT technical restrictions. Therefore, we are currently unable to reach our customers by telephone and e-mail.
This also affects in particular the necessary communication to arrive guests for the travel of AIDAperla from 26.12.2020 or 26.12.2020 AIDAmar from 27.12.2020.
Therefore, we, unfortunately, have to inform our guests that the planned arrival is not possible and we, therefore, unfortunately, have to cancel these mentioned trips.
We will contact all affected guests. Warmest regards, Your AIDA Team
Sailings Cancelled So this has lead to the cruise line canceling AIDAperla’s departure on December 26, 2020, in the Canary Islands and AIDAmar’s departure also in the Canary Islands on December 27, 2020. Both ships had to end their current voyages and return to the Las Palmas port which is where they are both currently docked.
This a big setback for the Germany cruise line after just recently kickstarting cruises in the Canary Islands. AIDAperla resumed cruises in the region on December 5 and AIDAmar only restarted sailings on December 20.
Not the First Cyberattack in 2020 2020 has not just been a year where the cruise industry has been in a shutdown but also major cyberattacks have taken place. Other Carnival cruise brands and more recently Hurtigruten have also suffered attacks that the companies are still recovering from.
In August 2020, several Carnival brands had issues, including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, and Seabourn. Personal details were accessed on guests, land-based staff, and shipboard crew members. The company is investigating the issue and currently contacting all those affected.
We also reported on an attack by Carnival UK-based brands including P&O Cruises and Cunard after systems went down at it’s Southampton headquarters.
More recently in December 2020, Hurtigruten suffered a huge attack which even brought the cruise line’s web site down for days. Phone lines were also down but that’s all the details that were released. it will likely take time to know more on what was accessed.
This type on scamming goes on all the time with hospitals and land bound businesses who need their data back now, and will pay up to get it.
Cruise ships would be a natural target for ransomware extortion.(sorry, not our problem, you're flagged in another country).
This attack on a Carnival line ship is just what a Cruise line doesn't need while treading water just to stay afloat.
Future information will tell what the purpose of the hack is.- Tom
Man, they just can’t catch a break.
Our government has a cyber security capability that is amazing. We simply do not use it. We could easily know who made the attacks and kill them, nut we let our citizens suffer instead.
When all the Cruise lines get going, with more ships involved the ransomware scammers will have a better chance of quick payoffs to them from the Lines,to keep the cruise lines going ,so they don't fall behind their cruise ship competitors.-Tom
Here's another angle: in addition to freezing out the line's IT and communications, what about the passengers'? All those relatively well-off people giving account numbers for tickets, optional activities, shopping and such. Would you give your card number if you knew the database was compromised? I think I'd skip that cruise.
Here's another angle: in addition to freezing out the line's IT and communications, what about the passengers'? All those relatively well-off people giving account numbers for tickets, optional activities, shopping and such. Would you give your card number if you knew the database was compromised? I think I'd skip that cruise.
“When all the Cruise lines get going, with more ships involved the ransomware scammers will have a better chance of quick payoffs to them from the Lines,to keep the cruise lines going ,so they don’t fall behind their cruise ship competitors.-Tom”
Cruise lines should simply their activities. You are on a ship. The ship goes to several places and then returns to its home port. From past experiences, the cruise line knows how much food to bring on board, how much waste will be generated and disposed of and what activities are planned. Weather can be transmitted to the ship from shore.
Unless the ransomware is attacking critical systems like ballast, what do you really need IT Systems for? And I am an IT guy.
The problem of course is the system wasn't compromised when the passengers gave that info to the cruise line.-Tom
AIDA Cruises is a German cruise line founded in the early 1960s and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc since 2003. Based in Rostock, Germany, AIDA Cruises caters primarily to the German-speaking market; as seagoing “club resorts”.
IMHO the problem is disrupting the communications between the passengers and travel agents and the cruise line. -Tom
Cruise lines, like nearly every other segment of industry and commerce, have become utterly dependent on computer systems to automate and run things. And as a result, things grew so big that it became impossible to run them manually.
The IT systems are as necessary now, at that huge scale, as wings on an aircraft. It's a terribly dependent situation, and one which was predicted long ago. They could have avoided it, but greed rules.
They made their bed, now they must keep it from catching fire over and over.
(And I, too, am an IT guy.)
Paying by a credit card is always the safest method.
Because if you do not receive the merchandise purchased, the credit card company will issue a refund as required by law. Your liability for loss is limited by law.
“Cruise Ships Forced to Cancel Sailings Due to Possible Cyberattack”
Are they SERIES?
Now that I know this, I won’t be going on a cruise anytime soon. /s
Along with the chance of an outbreak causing last-minute cancellation of the cruise...
And the chance of outbreak while confined onboard...
And the chance of outbreak at your destination, so you're confined on board...
Or outbreak at your destination, such that you're quarantined and not allowed to get back onboard...
or the chance you'll lose your money when the cruise line goes belly up before you depart.
I know, I'm leaving out terrorist attacks, unrelated plague outbreaks, political unrest, undersea mines ...
For most cruises the final payment day is 90 days before the cruise...at that time we get access to online check in and part of that process includes setting up an account for onboard purchases including shore excursions etc...a credit card is usually required...
Right now were not giving the info about our credit cards because most cruise lines arent allowing the passengers access to online check in until a couple of weeks before the cruise and we havent cruised for nearly a year...so the cruise lines do not have our credit card info as yet...
Plus few passengers ever got close to that 90 day window after the first couple of months of the ban because the cruise lines extended the payment date and then the cruise was cancelled etc...
Ship to shore radios return.
There is no simple answer; security is based on layers.
Ransomware is a VERY SERIOUS problem because even state actors like North Korea are getting into the action.
“Ransomware is a VERY SERIOUS problem”
It is also extremely easy to defeat and we always know who does it. Kill them, declare war on any nation that doesn’t kill cyber terrorists within their borders.
“Ransomware is a VERY SERIOUS problem because even state actors like North Korea are getting into the action.”
I went to an Aida site, and ran the German thru a translator and got this English version below.
Just what you need to get on Christmas Day from the Cruise line.
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Aida
December 25 at 8:51 AM
Dear AIDA fans,
unfortunately, we are currently affected by IT technical limitations. Therefore, we are currently not reachable by phone and e-mail for our customers. This also affects in particular the necessary communication to arriving guests for the journeys of AIDAperla from 26.12.2020 and AIDAmar from 27.12.2020. Therefore, we have to inform our guests that the planned arrival is not possible and we therefore unfortunately have to cancel these mentioned trips.
We will contact all affected guests.
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