FBI and Coast Guard probe cyberattacks on two oil tankers entering US waters

Two oil tankers entering US waters were boarded by the FBI and US Coast Guard in August after their computer networks were compromised by foreign cyber actors. The USCG confirmed the incidents publicly on 15 September.

The first, VL Prosperity, a 333-metre Liberian-flagged crude tanker, was boarded on 21 August. Three days later, a second tanker was boarded. Both crews shut down communications for around 30 hours while investigators secured the tankers. Both were declared safe.

No suspect has been named. Iranian state media claimed that the attackers gained access to propulsion, navigation, and cargo management systems on board. US officials did not confirm or deny that claim. The USCG and FBI have not attributed the attacks to any country.

The disclosure came two weeks after oil tanker rates on the Gulf of Oman to China route hit a record high of 450 Worldscale as the Hormuz crisis intensified, and a week after Iran's IRGC struck at least three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and warned of destruction for tankers it called in illegal transit. UAE authorities urged companies in the sector to remain vigilant against cyber threats in the same period.