Russian intelligence accused of bringing down Maersk’s IT

© Sheila Fitzgerald |

It has been widely assumed by many cyber security experts in the maritime industry that the 2017 NotPetya cyberattack which crippled Maersk IT systems was not directed at the shipping line itself, but an attack on the Ukrainian government, with Maersk – and TNT – suffering collateral damage. If further proof were needed that this was the case, Splash247 today reports that six Russian spies have been named by the US government as perpetrators of the attack. “The six computer hackers are all, allegedly, members of Unit 74455, the cyber hacking division of Russia’s intelligence services. Unit 74555 goes by a number of other names including Sandworm, BlackEnergy Group and Voodoo Bear.”