Cyberattack Crippled Facilities of Large Australia Port Operator
A cyber incident shut down Australia’s second largest port operator, which is now having an impact on moving goods in and out of the country. DP World Australia, which operates ports in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle, is responsible for 40 percent of maritime freight said it began responding to a cybersecurity incident this past Friday, according to an ABC News report. While ships remain able to unload freight, the freight cannot then leave the port site. The operator said it took immediate action which included disconnecting Internet connectivity, which stopped any ongoing unauthorized access.
Operations at container terminals in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth were disrupted from Friday to Monday morning. DP World Australia said its ports resumed operations at 09:00 local time "following successful tests of key systems overnight" - reports BBC.
There was no further word on what type of attack the port operator suffered and who was behind the assault.