A US maritime base was forced down for over thirty hours due to a ransomware attack. Officials has said they believed that the ransomware was sent in an email link. Once it was clicked, the ransomware attack interrupted cameras, door-access control systems and critical monitoring systems at the base.
The agency have not disclosed the name or locations if the base that was targeted by the ransomware. On the 16th December, the US Coast Guard (USCG) urged other bases to take measure / precautions in order to prevent future attacks – that went in one ear, out the other.
It is said that once the malicious link was clicked, the ransomware allowed for a threat actor access to sensitive files. Those files were then encrypted by the third-party so then the facility could not access them. The virus was then said to further borrow in the industrial control systems that are used to monitor and control cargo transfers. More files were also encrypted – these were very important to process operations.
The BBC have stated that they have contacted the USCG for more information on the matter. So hopefully more light will be shed onto this situation soon. The hackers asked for $14 million which is approximately £10.7 million.
Hopefully they will be caught soon for their cyber crime.
