DP World resumed operations across Australia on Monday, having halted work for three days following a high-profile cyber attack.
DP World cut its systems from the internet when the attack was detected Friday, preventing trucks from unloading or picking up cargo at ports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle.
“DP World Australia is pleased to announce that operations resumed at the company’s ports across Australia,” the operator said in a statement today.
“The ongoing investigation and response to protect networks and systems may cause some necessary, temporary disruptions to their services in the coming days,” the terminal operator added.
Ports have become repeated targets for cyber criminals of late. In July, the Port of Nagoya in Japan was hit by a ransomware attack. Last Christmas, Portugal’s Port of Lisbon was hit by Russian ransomware LockBit, crippling its operations for days. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, India’s busiest container port, also suffered a ransomware attack last year. In April, three Canadian ports were also targeted.
Research published last month found that the maritime industry remains an “easy target” for cyber criminals and that the cost of attacks and demand for ransom payments across the sector have skyrocketed over the past year.
The report, which was produced by law firm HFW and maritime cyber security company CyberOwl, reveals that the average cyberattack in the maritime industry now ends up costing the target organisation $550,000 – up from $182,000 in 2022.
It also shows that demands for ransom have increased by more than 350%, with the average ransom payment now $3.2m – up from $3.1m last year.
The cyberattacks would be pretty devastating for the shipping companies.