Shipping Companies Confront Cyber Crooks as Economies Reopen

Major shipping companies, stung by ransomware attacks, are looking for ways to thwart money-motivated hackers from interfering with their deliveries as global economies reopen after the Covid pandemic.

Companies infected with ransomware have temporarily shifted their operations offline and authorities have shut down ports. That’s left customers with tough choices: higher fees to transfer their goods to other companies at the last minute, late arrivals, or spoiled perishable goods. More broadly, the hacking disrupts global trade.

The Coast Guard plans to make public an update of its cyber strategy this summer, and one senator from a maritime state, Ed Markey ...