South Korean Shipping Companies and KISA Simulate Sophisticated Cyberattack on Vessels
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Five South Korean shipping and ship management companies joined government agencies to simulate a sophisticated cyberattack targeting vessels through compromised software providers. The exercise was organized by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) in Busan and included the participation of HMM Ocean Service, POS SM, Hyundai LNG Shipping, KLNG and G-Marine Service, while Pan Ocean took part as an observer.
According to KISA, the drill was held on November 3, 2026 at the BEXCO center in Busan and also involved the Korea Coast Guard, the Korea Shipowners' Association and the Korea Ship Managers' Association, which discussed how to share threat intelligence among operators.
The attack scenario
The simulated attack began with hackers posing as a port authority and distributing malicious emails to shipping companies and to the vessels themselves. The attackers then compromised a vendor's computer and tampered with an onboard software update, which infected the vessels' computers and communication servers and disrupted the link between the ships and shore.
Four stages of response
The exercise tested four stages of incident response: identifying suspicious emails and sharing information on potential threats, removing malware and restoring affected systems, responding to supply chain attacks carried out using AI-based hacking tools, and coordinated incident management between shipping companies and authorities.
KISA's warnings
KISA noted that the growing interconnection between vessels and shore-based systems, driven by satellite communications and remote technical support, increases exposure to cyber threats. The agency warned that weaknesses in software used by multiple shipping companies could allow the same attack methods to spread across different fleets, and pointed out that maritime cyber incidents can affect not only onboard information systems but also vessel operations and logistics services. KISA announced that it will share the findings of the exercise with the participating operators to strengthen their response procedures.
