Maritime Industry Under Siege: Cybersecurity in the Maritime Order
The maritime industry is one of the most crucial aspects of American hegemony worldwide. The global maritime economy accounts for significant chunk of the countries trillion-dollar GDP. Moreover, the rules-based global maritime order is one of the main contributors to the relative peacetime economy we have enjoyed since the end of World War II.
But the maritime industry is currently under siege.
Cybercriminals have found a comfortable home in the maritime industry. According to the U.S. Coast Guard’s cyber division, there were at least 36 reported maritime transportation system incidents in 2024, 25% of those being ransomware attacks. To cite a specific example, The Port of Los Angeles has reported a rise in monthly cyberattacks from 7 million per month in 2014 to 60 million monthly attacks by 2023.
Let’s take a deeper look.
Attacks on ships and ports come in many different varieties. Just as in other industries, threat actors find many different angles to attack.
Use the DopeScope 2.0 to identify and locate rogue Wi-Fi Access Points in your Wi-Fi infrastructure!
Wi-Fi Attacks: This is a favorite tool of cybercriminals attacking ships or ports. The attack focuses on intercepting communications and/or using rogue access points to penetrate operational systems. One form of Wi-Fi attack is when the attacker will set up a Wi-Fi network similar to the ships official network to gain crew member login credentials. From there, the cyberthief can easily penetrate sensitive systems and wreak havoc.
One example of a security breach happened to the USS Manchester back in 2024. Senior officials aboard the ship set up an unauthorized Wi-Fi network using Starlink. While no harm was reported as a result of the rogue network, the incident highlighted the ease to which cybercriminals can set up rogue networks in order to penetrate operational systems aboard vessels at sea.
Ransomware: Ransomware attacks comprise some of the highest profiles cyber-attacks in the maritime industry. In 2018, the Port of San Diego was hit with a ransomware attack. Cybercriminals infiltrated the port’s computers with malware and disrupted administrative systems. Although no ransom was paid in this case, the incident highlights the vulnerability of our nation’s ports to cyberattacks.
Phishing attacks: These attacks can happen with an illegitimate email or message. In April 2025, Reuters reported that hackers were sending fraudulent messages promising safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency.
What’s at risk?
Cyberattacks at sea or at ports are especially scary because of how critical the maritime economy and its infrastructure is to our daily lives. Cybercriminals excel at exploiting weaknesses in IT or OT systems. A rogue access point can lead to a cybercriminal being able to penetrate your security system as we saw on the USS Manchester incident. And if this ship is overseas and nowhere near a port where they would have caught the security lapse, the lapse would have gone unnoticed.
Cyberattacks in the maritime industry affect everyone. From the Ports of Los Angeles to the Port of Rotterdam, cybercriminals will find ways to disrupt operations and exploit vulnerabilities in the system — especially on ships where setting up unauthorized Wi-Fi access points is far too easy and difficult to catch without specific tools like the DopeScope 2.0.
Sources
https://www.uscg.mil/Portals/0/Images/cyber/CGCYBER%202024%20CTIME.pdf
https://industrialcyber.co/transport/us-coast-guards-2024-ctime-report-reveals-growing-cyber-risks-in-maritime-operations/
https://www.ndtahq.com/american-ports-drive-2-9-trillion-in-economic-impact-and-21-8-million-jobs-aapa-report-reveals/
https://thedigitalship.com/news/maritime-satellite-communications/maritime-faces-rising-cyber-threats-in-2025/
https://staunchtec.com/maritime-cyber-incidents-digital-threats-2025
https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2026/PSA260430
https://www.surefirecyber.com/industry-spotlight-port-and-maritime/
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45677511
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/scam-messages-offering-ships-safe-transit-through-hormuz-security-firm-warns-2026-04-21/
https://www.darktrace.com/cyber-ai-glossary/cybersecurity-in-maritime
https://apnews.com/article/navy-illegal-wireless-internet-534007ea8b374bce3189c42449902b2c
https://loch.io/updates/rogue-wi-fi-networks-on-navy-ships
