Tokyo MoU, the most active regional port control organization in the Asia Pacific, has revealed that its data was compromised for months and that hackers gained fraudulent access through a cyber attack.
It is unclear how the attack has impacted the servers of the Port State Control (PSC) platform. However, authorities are deeply investigating to learn more about the facts.
According to preliminary reports, the attack was launched in July last year and the database started exhibiting operational anomalies in September 2022. For instance, the system was unavailable for weeks, resulting in serious difficulties for authorities and inspectors to select ships for inspection and transmit inspection information to the MoU servers.
Technically speaking, the PSC was established to eliminate substandard shipping services and promote on-board and at-port maritime safety, as well as improve work conditions for port employees.
The list of 21 member countries of the organization includes Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of China, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Vanuatu, and Peru.
Note: Data leaks can be misused by hackers at some point in time and can be used for phishing and social engineering attacks.
