Threats · 56 days ago
The U.S. Coast Guard and FBI confirmed in-person OT and IT inspections aboard two oil tankers on Aug. 21 and 24 after one vessel lost communications for more than 30 hours at sea. Investigators still have not publicly named an actor, and officials say they have seen no operational disruption, vessel instability, crew danger, or environmental harm.
Modern tankers can put navigation, propulsion, steering, cargo controls, and satellite communications on a shared onboard network behind a single firewall. If that network is disrupted, the ship can lose outside contact and see safety systems degraded without an attacker taking full command of the vessel.
The important shift is in the response model: federal teams can board and inspect the ship where it is, so a maritime cyber incident does not have to become a port closure. For operators, the durable exposure is the vessel’s own OT/IT stack, and the reporting still does not settle who was behind the intrusion.
6 sources covering this story
Cyberattacks on Two Oil Tankers Prompt Coast Guard, FBI to Board Vessels
The Coast Guard confirmed evidence of malicious cyber activity on the VL Prosperity, but has not attributed the attack to Iran.
US Coast Guard and FBI board oil tanker to investigate cyber attack
An oil tanker bound for Texas was boarded mid-voyage by the US Coast Guard and FBI last month, after its network may have been compromised by malicious hackers.
FBI, Coast Guard probe suspected cyberattacks on ships entering US waters
The investigation comes at a time of heightened vigilance over U.S. port facilities and maritime security.
USCG and FBI disclose assessing OT and IT systems aboard two oil tankers following suspected foreign cyberattacks.
The Record from Recorded Future
Coast Guard, FBI boarded tanker after attack by ‘foreign cyber actors’
U.S. personnel boarded an oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico to “ensure integrity of the vessel’s operational and information technology systems," after an apparent cyberattack, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
Coast Guard, FBI board US-bound foreign ships in order to probe for cyberattacks
Coast Guard and FBI boarded two foreign tankers in the Gulf of Mexico to investigate cyberattacks that compromised the vessels' operational and IT networks.
Part of the PlainSec briefing for 2026-09-18