Shipping Industry under cyber attack from Drug Cartels.

[Dosedmonkey]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24539417

Using specialist equipment and computer hacking to make movements of containers full of drugs around container ports and vessels, with out shipping owners even realising. 0.o

[Chiefy]

To be honest given we dont know whats in the average box most of the time anyway, industrial quantities of drugs is hardly a surprise............

[GuinnessMan]

To be honest given we dont know whats in the average box most of the time anyway, industrial quantities of drugs is hardly a surprise............

Isn't that the reason for the last few fires on container ships? Undeclared dangerous goods?

[Chiefy]

it's certainly contributory if not the root cause, also making it harder / more dangerous to fire fight

[Dosedmonkey]

Completely agreed.

The bit in the news report that got me, is when they accidently loaded one of these drug containers on to the wrong truck, and the truck got tracked down the road by the drug trafficers (who did realise what waas in it) and they opened fire on him with AK47s, bit mad for north europe.

They attach drugs to bowthrust tunnels and all sorts with out people knowing. They obviously chance posting drugs and shipping it all the time. Its just the effort it must of went to set up such a high tech operation in secret, is quite impressive, and worrying. Who says terrorists couldn't do the same.

Do these new computer controlled engines connect to the satellite system to send information to manufacturer? If they do that worries me, as they will be open to virus' and hacking.

[Chiefy]

electronic engines can be remotely entered from shore side, but only from known IP address' ie from within MAN or Wartsila, you can remove the plug when not in use, it's what I do, they mail me with times they want access I plug the networkline in they do the needful and then pull the plug.

As for Virii, this is an issue on all shipboard computers, but less so with windows embeded (MAN use this) as it isnt full windows only the components needed to do the task. Also the actual engine can run locally with the external 'puters all OFF, but you need to be on engine side and manned for that, you also loose all the nice bits like vaiable timming and peak presure adjustment etc...but it'll get you home ;-)

[ETwhat?]

Most 'industrial' computers are pretty robust against virus so the platforms for radar, engines but an office computer in a port will have all the vunerability of any pc. And it was a very clever way of stealing the containers rather than simply sticking lots through and hoping not all are caught.

There are lots of digital bits on ships that if there was the money / interest could be faked position to the ows or vdr etc. harder to fake the ecdis while telling the auto pilot to go where you wanted but would be possible

[GuinnessMan]

They attach drugs to bowthrust tunnels and all sorts with out people knowing.

This sort of malarky tends to be done on the container boats more than anything else as they tend to sail fixed routes (tankers and bulkers are not always so fixed).

I do remember hearing about one vessel for a major Container Boat owner (not Borg). Chaps came along, hooked up the drugs, ship sailed, complete discharge of all containers at next port, ship sailed to drydock, drug runners missed the ship. Drugs were found during the initial bottom survey with a "vat is zat Kapitan?"....

[chris]

Regarding viruses attacking industrial computers and programmable logic controllers found all over ships, you might want to read this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet

[Dosedmonkey]

This sort of malarky tends to be done on the container boats more than anything else as they tend to sail fixed routes (tankers and bulkers are not always so fixed).

I do remember hearing about one vessel for a major Container Boat owner (not Borg). Chaps came along, hooked up the drugs, ship sailed, complete discharge of all containers at next port, ship sailed to drydock, drug runners missed the ship. Drugs were found during the initial bottom survey with a "vat is zat Kapitan?"....

Feeder ships from Europe to UK is a real problem. If you see divers, who are not meant to be about, always inform the port authorities. It might even be terrorists.

In Falklands we got suspicious people coming along in to the port, dressed well, dropped of by a car, then started taking photos of all the ships and inside port sheds, phoned the police, never knew what happened, reckon they were either Argentines or Opposition Oil Companies.

PS. Thanks for the stuxnet link, my point excactly. How good would it be for Chinese (Or any large company for that matter) shipping if they can take down the opposition electronicaly.

[chris]

The good news is that plcs are safe until you connect a laptop/the internet to them to make an update. I don't know how much this happens on ships but Chiefy is definitely doing the right thing by disconnecting his engines from the internet unless Wartsila need to make an update.

Having read the stuxnet article, Id be very wary about applying any update to a plc on the ship I was on but perhaps with the exception of engines I don't think its very common yet.

The latest cruise ships all seem to be based on Siemens plcs, they would be severely crippled if a stuxnet style virus attacked them. Safety system, bow thruster, IMACS etc.