Update: CMA CGM confirms cyber attack

French liner major CMA CGM confirmed to Offshore Energy-Green Marine that it was currently dealing with a cyber-attack impacting peripheral servers.

The attack does not include CEVA Logistics.

“As soon as the security breach was detected, external access to applications was interrupted to prevent the malware from spreading. Our teams are fully mobilized and access to our information systems is gradually resuming,” the company said in an emailed statement.

“The CMA CGM network remains available to the Group’s customers for all booking and operation requests. An investigation is underway, conducted by our internal experts and by independent experts.”

As Offshore Energy-Green Marine reported earlier today, several websites of the French liner major have been down due to reported IT issues.

The company shared on its Twitter account that external access to its IT applications and booking systems were unavailable.

These include the business sites for CMA CGM, APL, ANL and CNC.

Some media outlets reported that the company has been hit by a ransomware attack by the Ragnar Locker group.

CMA CGM is the fourth container shipping company to experience a cyber attack including MSC, Cosco Shipping, and Maersk.

MSC confirmed that some of its digital tools and its website were down due to a malware attack in April 2020.

The Geneva-based container shipping major explained that the attack had a limited impact on its operations and that its cargo operations continued as normal.

MSC’s 2M Alliance partner Maersk experienced a cyber attack back in 2017, which cost the company approximately $300 million.

Maersk was one of many global companies to be hit by a malware later known as NotPetya, distributed through a Ukrainian accounting software called MeDoc, which is used for filing tax returns in Ukraine.

There has been a massive 400% increase in attempted hacks since February 2020 coinciding with a period when the maritime industry turned to greater use of technology and working from home due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Israeli cybersecurity specialist Naval Dome revealed the figure in June this year, saying that the pandemic is leaving the maritime and offshore energy sectors more vulnerable to cyber-attacks than before.