As of the evening of Jan. 28, work at several ports is at a standstill. Due to a cyber attack, several IT systems stopped working. Among others, Sea-Invest, active in the Belgian ports of Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge, was affected.
Cyber criminals launched a successful cyber attack against IT systems of petrochemical companies last weekend. In Belgium, Sea-Invest is facing problems due to the cyber attack.
Work is at a standstill
Sea-Invest’s administrative systems appear to be badly affected. As a result, workers cannot track which ships need to be loaded and unloaded. For the workers, therefore, there is no alternative but to temporarily stop work. Until the IT systems are up and running again, the company is looking for temporary solutions, such as working with pen and paper.
Within Belgium, Sea-Invest operates in the ports of Ghent, Antwerp and Zeebrugge. Outside Belgium, the company also operates and manages several terminals for fruit and bulk cargo.
Ransomware not ruled out
It is not currently clear whether Sea-Invest has been hit by a ransomware attack. This year, Dutch and Belgian Game Mania stores did fall victim to a ransomware attack with certainty. One certainty is also that cybercriminals have no intention of stopping.
In any case, the consequences of the cyberattack have a huge impact on the company’s operations. It indicates once again why proper cyber security is important and must be put in place quickly.