By Raphael Satter and Jonathan Saul
WASHINGTON/LONDON, Sept 17 - Last month, U.S. Coast Guard and FBI officers boarded two commercial ships in the Gulf of Mexico that were headed to the United States. This action was taken after signs that hackers had accessed their computer systems, the agencies reported on Thursday.
This rare intervention, which took place on August 21 and August 24 on two foreign-flagged vessels, highlights ongoing concerns among U.S. officials about various cyber incidents that media sources have associated with Iran amidst rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The FBI shared that a combined team from the Coast Guard and FBI boarded the ships due to “indications that the networks of both vessels were compromised.”
The Coast Guard, which only discussed the operation on August 21, noted that “foreign cyber actors” were involved but did not specify who they were.
No additional details were provided by either agency regarding the incidents, and any inconsistencies between their statements were not clarified. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency directed inquiries back to the Coast Guard.
Corey Ranslem, CEO of the maritime security firm Dryad Global, confirmed that one of the vessels involved was the Liberian-flagged VL Prosperity. This ship is currently docked in waters near Galveston, Texas, according to ship tracking data from LSEG and MarineTraffic. The Liberian flag registry has yet to respond to requests for comments.
Iran's Mehr news agency reported on August 20 that the VL Prosperity experienced what it described as “a major cyberattack” while passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, resulting in a communications blackout for 30 hours.
According to an unnamed crew member cited by Mehr, hackers reportedly accessed the engine room systems, reduced the cooling flow to the engine, increased engine speed, and disabled the fuel and engine oil tanks on the ship.
The Iranian news outlet did not disclose who might be responsible for this alleged cyberattack.
Despite its serious implications, carrying out a cyberattack on a ship is not overly complex, Ranslem commented.
“We expect this type of attack to continue and even grow in the near future,” he added.