Maersk Group is assessing the damage to its business from this week’s cyber attack and deliberately keeping some IT systems shut down during recovery. The update from the shipping and ports group comes as it was revealed that the Danish maritime industry was warned about cyber threats in March this year. Danish Defence Intelligence warned the maritime sector of threats from hackers and ransomware in a report.
AP Moller-Maersk said its email unit was one of the systems impacted by the malware attack and that business continuity plans were being implemented and prioritised. In a statement Maersk said: “We continue to assess the situation. Until this analysis is complete, we cannot be specific about how many sites and locations are affected or when normal business operations are restored. The aggregate impact on our business is being assessed.”
The group is collaborating with IT experts, including national cyber-crime agencies and IT recovery companies, to reinstate services safely and without further disruption. All Maersk Group ships, including tankers and container ships, Svitzer tugs, offshore support vessels, drilling rigs, floating production storage and offloading vessels and production platforms remain operational and unaffected by the cyber attack, Maersk said.
It has reopened online booking facilities via the INTTRA booking platform for container shipping via Maersk Line. APM Terminals has reopened the majority of the terminals it operates, but there are still issues. “Some of these terminals are operating slower than usual or with limited functionality. APM Terminals continue to work towards full restoration of its IT systems,” Maersk said in a statement.
Damco, a global provider of innovative freight forwarding and supply chain management services still has limited access to certain systems following the cyber attack. “A business continuity plan has been deployed with a key focus on protecting customers’ cargo flows,” Maersk said to reassure customers.
Maersk Group started to recover its damaged IT systems following a cyber attack on 27 June which shut down multiple business units and ship terminals.
Maersk and the rest of the Danish shipping industry were warned about threats of cyber attack by Danish Defence Intelligence in March in a report that stated: “The threat from cyber criminals was very high.” The sector-specific threats identified included cyber-enabled smuggling and theft, ransomware and cyber-enabled fraud. The report also said the threat of cyber espionage against the maritime sector is very high, and that maritime lines of communications, including vessels and ports may be targeted.
Because the attack struck the logistics operations of Maersk and not the ships themselves, it was not the remit of the Danish Maritime Authority, so there was no comment when they were contacted.
Shipping companies, including Maersk Group, could face major losses from business disruption due to cyber attacks such as the latest Petya ransomware attack. The financial impact could be severe. To read more click here.
© 2023 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.