Maritime Computer Emergency Response Team ADMIRAL dataset ADMIRAL dataset

Publicly disclosed information for this event

Index Number:
Title:
2023_095
A port is victim of a ransomware attack.
Day Month Year Country Activity Incident Type
4 July 2023 Japan Port Virus/Ransomware

Summary

The victim port is Japan's largest since 2002 in terms of cargo throughput, and is responsible for handling significant car exports and imports. It processes over 200 million tons of cargo annually, plays a pivotal role in the region's economic activities.

According to sources, around July 4, the victim's operations faced disruptions due to an alleged ransomware attack. Several anomalies were observed in their automated systems, including the inability to identify trucks at one of its primary docks. The Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) of the attack seem to correspond with activities reputed of LockBit 3.0, which claimed the attack.

The incident might have affected an estimated 15,000 containers and influenced related businesses, including major car manufacturers in the region. Operations linked to a renowned automobile corporation faced potential challenges, primarily in their packaging plant for exported car parts. Additionally, sensors at the port's entrance were non-operational, causing significant delays and disruptions in cargo loading and unloading. This widespread disturbance led to a temporary congestion of trailers at the port.

Victim

Port of Nagoya

Claimed/Reported Threat Actor

Lockbit 3.0

Origin

Cybercrime

Main impact

Availability

References

  1. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/07/3ec31b352357-japans-biggest-port-hit-by-suspected-cyberattack-operations-halted.html#:~:text=Japan's%20biggest%20port%20hit%20by%20suspected%20cyberattack%2C%20operations%20halted,-KYODO%20NEWS%20%2D%209&text=The%20Port%20of%20Nagoya%2C%20Japan's,Wednesday%20it%20suspects%20a%20cyberattack
  2. https://maritime-executive.com/article/ransomware-attack-stops-container-operations-japan-s-nagoya-port
  3. https://www.porttechnology.org/news/port-of-nagoya-recovers-from-ransomware-attack/
  4. https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14954966

Recommendations to Port to reduce Virus/Ransomware risks:

  • Map, understand, patch and secure your exposed assets on the Internet.
  • Implement email filtering systems to detect and block phishing emails.
  • Train your organisation, personnel regularly against these threats.
  • Install efficient Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools.
  • Work with your CSIRT organization to better understand the Tactics, Techniques and Procedures used by threat actors.
  • Monitor your IT and OT systems to quickly detect potential pre-ransomware activity.
  • Implement an efficient offline backup policy.
  • Encrypt all sensitive data to avoid further data leaks.
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Disclaimer: the data are provided as is. France Cyber Maritime and the M-CERT take no responsibility for the soundness, quality, precision, nor the eventual attribution made by the referenced URLs. We give a lot of respect and support to the victims of attacks.
Files generated on Monday, 11th December 2023.
ADMIRAL is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license. Copyright © France Cyber Maritime 2023.