Cyber attack against Cosco is worrying, Naval Dome says

On July 24, Cosco's operations in the US were hit by a cyber-attack. As a result its daily operations in the US were affected. The company's operations outside the US are not affected, according to reports, while terminal operations are continuing unaffected.

This development worried Naval Dome's CEO, Itai Sela, who said that this kind of attack could cause serious damages and can be very costly, "especially in terms of insurance."

In order to prevent the attack from spreading, Cosco took precautionary measures by shutting down its connections, however, Mr. Sela mentioned that:

"Ships are not islands, they are not self-contained units. This is a mistaken belief. Shore- and ship-operations are cyber-connected."

For this reason, Naval Dome's CEO urged Cosco "to thoroughly verify the breach has been contained and has not infected any ships in the COSCO fleet."

According to sources, the cyber-attack affected only Cosco's operations in the US, and not those outside the country. In addition, ships and terminal operations are continuing without any problems.

Nevertheless, this attack along with the attack against Maersk last year can provide valuable lessons to be learned, so that operators take immediate and effective protection.

"Regulators need to implement workable rules and guidelines to help this vitally important global industry defend itself properly."