ShipManager Hack Puts 1,000 Vessels’ Data at Risk

ShipManager servers fell victim to a ransomware attack on Jan. 7.

DNV, the Oslo-based company that operates the fleet management platform, announced the cybersecurity breach on Wednesday (Jan. 18), saying that the attack affected about 70 customers operating around 1,000 vessels.

The company said it shut down the servers immediately in response to the incident, which did not affect ships’ ability to use the software’s onboard, offline functionalities.

It added that there are no indications that any other data or servers are affected and that the server outage does not impact any other DNV services.

The affected customers have been advised by DNV to consider mitigating measures depending on the types of data they had uploaded to the system, the company said.

The attack has been reported to the Norwegian police and other law enforcement agencies. Users of the system have been reminded by DNS of their responsibility to inform data protection authorities in their countries about the breach.

The company didn’t divulge details about the source or nature of the attack. It only said that it is “working closely with global IT security partners to analyze the incident and ensure secure online operations as soon as possible.”

Ransomware attacks target many sectors. For example, one PYMNTS survey found that 58% of healthcare organizations had been hit by such attacks.

A type of malware, ransomware infects servers, usually with the intention of stealing data or blocking access, and then demanding payment in return for handing back control of the affected machines.

As the severity of cyberattacks grows, Mario Greco, the CEO of Zurich Insurance, has said that they will become uninsurable.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Greco said that cyberattacks could pose a greater challenge for insurers than threats such as pandemics and climate change.

“What if someone takes control of vital parts of our infrastructure, [what are] the consequences of that?” he asked.

For all PYMNTS EMEA coverage, subscribe to the daily EMEA Newsletter.