Researcher: Not Hard for a Hacker to Capsize a Ship at Sea

Maritime transport still contributes in an important way to the world’s economy, with on-time shipments influencing everything from commodities availability and spot pricing to the stability of small countries. Unfortunately, capsizing a ship with a cyberattack is a relatively low-skill enterprise, according to an analysis from Pen Test Partners.

With so many previously outlined ways to infiltrate networks on-board shipping vessels (think satcom hacking, phishing, USB attacks, insecure crew Wi-Fi, etc.), the question becomes, what could an adversary do with that access?

“If one was suitably motivated, perhaps by a nation-state or a crime syndicate, one could bring about the sinking of a ship,” said Pen Test Partners researcher Ken Munro, in a stark assessment of maritime cyber-danger this week.