US Cyber Teams Board Tankers After Voyages Disrupted by Attacks

Two oil tankers bound for Texas were boarded by US Coast Guard and FBI personnel in August after cyberattacks disrupted their voyages, according to a CBS News report citing US officials. One vessel, the Liberian-flagged VL Prosperity, left Egypt on 1 August for Galveston. Iranian media reported that an attack occurred on 7 August as it passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, allegedly reaching the engine room and affecting coolant flow, engine speed and fuel delivery. The attackers were also said to have accessed navigation and cargo systems and cut communications for about 30 hours.

A team including Coast Guard cyber specialists, law enforcement officers, a vessel inspector and FBI Cyber Action Team members boarded the VL Prosperity the following day and remained aboard for four days. The second tanker was boarded on 24 August, with both inspections taking place after the vessels reached the Gulf of Mexico. Coast Guard Cyber Command commander Rear Adm.

Amy Grable said investigators found evidence of a malicious cyber actor in the vessel’s IT and other onboard systems, but nothing indicating that the tanker was unsafe to operate. Authorities have not linked the incidents publicly to Iran and are still assessing whether the attacks were connected or involved a state actor.

A former Coast Guard cyber official said the more credible danger may be the degradation of multiple systems until safe operation becomes difficult, rather than complete remote control of a supertanker. The incidents highlight maritime exposure created by ageing operational-technology systems, satellite communications and connected devices, although the article provides no confirmed attack technique or attribution.