FBI, Coast Guard boarded hacked oil tankers heading towards US coast

The U.S. Coast Guard and the FBI boarded two oil tankers heading towards the U.S. coast in August, following reports of hackers compromising at least one of the vessels and taking control of its critical systems. The agencies boarded the ships in the Gulf of Mexico to ensure the integrity of the vessels' operational and information technology systems.

According to a joint statement from the Coast Guard and FBI, the captain, crew, and on-shore staff of the vessel's owner cooperated fully with the agencies. The statement mentioned that the incident highlighted how shipping vessels, including oil tankers, and the global logistics network can be vulnerable to hacker attacks.

One of the tankers, the VL Prosperity, a 333-meter vessel with a capacity of over 2 million barrels of oil, was specifically mentioned. The tanker, currently located in the Gulf of Mexico, was allegedly hacked on August 7 while en route from Egypt to the United States. The hackers reportedly interfered with the ship's speed and fuel systems, causing the tanker to lose communications for more than a day.

The source cited Iranian media, reporting that the hackers targeted the ship on August 7. While the source did not explicitly name the hackers, CBS News suggested that the U.S. is investigating whether Iran is behind the attack. Iran has been linked to various cyberattacks in recent months, including those against medical device maker Stryker, the Los Angeles mass transit system, and over a hundred water facilities across the United States.

The Coast Guard and FBI statement confirmed there were "no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to crews, or environmental impacts" following the hack.