US Coast Guard cyber teams have discovered that tankers ferrying sanctioned oil from Iran and Russia are using digital tools to control crews and cover their tracks, leaving them vulnerable to bad actors who could cause an explosion or oil spill.
The teams found that the ships are intentionally skipping physical inspections and digital due diligence, and are running remote desktop applications that enable dark-fleet owners to control and tamper with a ship's systems from afar.
The Coast Guard discovered that some ships are running pirated software loaded with malware, and that crews are using fake identities and custom-made Ethernet cables to hide their whereabouts.
The report supports the conclusion that the tankers are intentionally designed for illicit activity, and that international efforts are needed to interdict them.
Since the US launched its global crackdown on the dark fleet in December, countries such as France, the UK, and Germany have blocked and seized tankers ferrying Russian oil.
