Global Maritime Infrastructure Under Threat As Cyber Attacks & GPS Spoofing Increase

The maritime industry, through which 90% of global trade is conducted, is increasingly becoming a target of cyber attacks.

A recent Cyble report recorded over a hundred cyber attacks by APT or advanced persistent threat groups, financially motivated threat actors, hacktivists, ransomware groups and others amidst issues like tightening regulations, U.S tariffs, geopolitical conflicts and tensions in the Middle East.

The trend became pronounced in 2024 as pro-Palestinian hacktivists targeted Israeli-linked ships using Automatic Identification or AIS data.

Russian groups targeted European ports which supported Ukraine, while Chinese state actors compromised classification societies which certify fleets.

In another incident which occurred in March 2025, anti-Iranian group Lab Dookhtegan launched a cyber attack that disrupted communications on 116 Iranian ships.

The operation affected inter-ship and ship-to-port links, which targeted firms accused of supplying weapons to the Houthis.

Incidents involving GPS jamming and spoofing in maritime chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf pose a serious threat to ship safety and operational reliability.

This can disrupt the AIS positional reporting and other onboard navigation systems, leaving ships blind in one of the busiest and sensitive waters.

These disruptions are driven by geopolitical tensions and military manoeuvres, and increase the risk of collisions, navigational errors and maritime incidents. They have undermined regional security and the flow of global trade.

Source: Maritime Shipping News