Ghost Ships and Digital Vulnerabilities: A Look into Maritime Cyber Espionage

The maritime world, a critical cog in global trade, has become a battlefield in the digital age. As ships and ports grow more reliant on digital systems, they also become more vulnerable to cyber threats. A particularly alarming development is the emergence of "ghost ships"—vessels that appear on tracking systems but do not exist. These ghost ships, created through cyberattacks, pose significant risks to global security, trade, and navigation.

Recently, in August 2024, maritime authorities were alarmed by reports of several Chinese-flagged vessels appearing near the Azores on Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking systems. Upon investigation by the Portuguese Navy and Air Force, it became clear that these vessels did not exist. The ships were digital fabrications, the result of a cyberattack known as AIS spoofing. This attack manipulated ship-tracking data to create phantom vessels, revealing the vulnerability of AIS systems to cyber manipulation.

The implications of ghost ships go far beyond simple confusion. By manipulating AIS data, attackers can trick authorities, confuse legitimate ships, and even conceal illegal activities such as smuggling or espionage. The Azores incident, while not physically dangerous, underscores how easily digital vulnerabilities can be exploited to disrupt global maritime operations.

AIS spoofing is a sophisticated form of cyber manipulation that has grown more common in recent years. By injecting false data into the AIS system, attackers can make ships appear in places they are not or hide real ships from view. These spoofed vessels could pose significant navigation hazards, forcing real ships to change course unnecessarily, potentially leading to collisions or other accidents. They can also mask illegal activities, allowing criminals to move contraband undetected or smuggle goods without being flagged by port authorities. Nation-states might use AIS spoofing for surveillance or strategic espionage, tracking or masking military vessels.

But AIS spoofing is just one of many cyber threats in the maritime domain. GPS spoofing, for example, manipulates a ship's GPS data, causing it to appear in a different location than where it truly is. This can lead to dangerous navigational errors, especially in crowded or sensitive waterways. Jamming attacks, another growing concern, can block or disrupt a ship’s communication or navigation systems, leaving vessels effectively blind and cut off from nearby ships and authorities. Ransomware attacks, like the 2017 NotPetya incident that crippled Maersk’s global operations, can paralyze entire shipping networks, locking operators out of essential systems like cargo management and navigation. Finally, data theft and manipulation are a constant threat, with attackers targeting sensitive shipping records, cargo manifests, or even naval operations to gain strategic or financial advantage.

The vulnerabilities exposed by the Azores incident have made it clear that current regulations and cybersecurity practices must adapt to meet the growing threat. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has made strides in addressing cyber risks, particularly through Resolution MSC.428(98), which mandates that all ships incorporate cyber risk management into their Safety Management Systems (SMS). This framework, enforced since 2021, ensures that shipping companies assess and mitigate potential cyber vulnerabilities across their operational technology (OT) and IT systems. However, compliance with these measures remains uneven, with many companies lagging behind in adopting the necessary safeguards.

European Union (EU) regulations have also moved to address these threats, particularly through the NIS Directive and its updated NIS2 Directive. These directives require maritime operators within the EU to implement cyber risk management protocols designed to protect critical infrastructure, including ships and ports. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has played an important role in harmonizing cybersecurity measures across EU member states, ensuring that ports and vessels follow uniform guidelines and procedures to protect against cyberattacks.

Globally, other initiatives have emerged to bolster maritime cybersecurity. BIMCO’s Guidelines on Cyber Security Onboard Ships provide shipowners and operators with practical advice for safeguarding vessels against digital threats. These guidelines align with IMO regulations and help maritime companies stay up-to-date with the latest cyber risk management practices. Additionally, the emergence of blockchain technology offers promising solutions for securing ship-tracking data, ensuring the integrity of AIS and GPS systems, and preventing tampering or manipulation by cybercriminals. AI-driven systems can also be deployed to detect anomalies in real-time, flagging suspicious behavior before an attack can cause significant disruption.

Maritime Information Sharing Platforms play a vital role in combating cyber threats by providing a collaborative approach to identifying and responding to attacks. In Africa region, the YARIS platform, an EU-funded initiative, facilitates real-time information sharing among maritime authorities, helping to improve situational awareness and response times to cyber incidents. Similarly, IORIS, another EU-funded initiative, enhances maritime security by promoting information sharing and capacity building among countries in the Indian Ocean region. This platform plays a critical role in mitigating cyber risks by improving communication and coordination between regional partners.

In the United States, SeaVision offers a platform for international maritime collaboration, providing a shared picture of maritime activity. SeaVision’s primary purpose is to enhance maritime domain awareness by enabling countries to share vessel data and track potential threats, including cyber incidents.

By combining satellite and AIS data, all those platforms help to identify anomalies, such as AIS spoofing or other suspicious activities, that might indicate a cyber threat. These platforms are essential for ensuring global cooperation in detecting, sharing, and responding to cyberattacks that threaten maritime operations.

Despite these advances, there remains much work to be done. The threat of ghost ships and other digital vulnerabilities continues to grow as maritime operations become increasingly interconnected and reliant on digital systems. The Azores incident has demonstrated that the maritime industry must act swiftly to secure its future. Enhancing global collaboration, adopting cutting-edge technologies like blockchain and AI, and ensuring stricter regulatory compliance will be essential to protecting the maritime sector from the rapidly evolving threat of cyber espionage.

As ghost ships continue to haunt digital waters, the maritime industry faces an urgent challenge: to secure its operations not just against traditional threats, but against the invisible dangers that lurk within its increasingly complex digital infrastructure. In an interconnected world where global trade depends on the smooth functioning of maritime operations, the cost of inaction could be catastrophic.