Massachusetts' largest ferry service hit by ransomware attack

The Steamship Authority, Massachusetts' largest ferry service, was hit by a ransomware attack on Wednesday which led to ticketing and reservation disruptions.

"The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket Steamship Authority has been the target of a ransomware attack that is affecting operations as of Wednesday morning," the ferry service said on Wednesday.

"There is no impact to the safety of vessel operations, as the issue does not affect radar or GPS functionality. Scheduled trips to both islands continue to operate, although customers may experience some delays during the ticketing process."

In an update issued today, the Steamship Authority says that it's still working on restoring services, with trips already scheduled to operate without disruption.

However, the availability of credit card systems for processing vehicle and passenger tickets is limited, so paying in cash is preferred.

"The Steamship Authority is continuing to work with our team internally, as well as with local, state, and federal officials externally, to address Wednesday's incident," the service added.

"The ticketing processes, including online and phone reservations, will continue to be affected today, Thursday, June 3, 3021."

"At this point, customers remain unable to book or change reservations online or by phone, and the use of cash is recommended as there is limited access to credit card systems at some terminal and parking locations."

NANTUCKET TRADITIONAL FERRY SCHEDULE - starts June 3
As we continue to work through the cyber attack issues, please know all ferries are operating at this time. Here is the Nantucket operating schedule that begins June 3rd for the traditional ferry route. pic.twitter.com/izB7aZH68T

— Steamship Authority (@SteamshipMA) June 3, 2021

This is one of several ransomware incidents that have impacted US targets in the last month, all of them orchestrated by cybercriminals believed to be Russian-based.

Another attack coordinated by the DarkSide ransomware gang forced Colonial Pipeline to shut down the largest US pipeline and pay a $5 million ransom during early May.

On May 31, the world's largest beef producer JBS shut down production following a REvil (aka Sodinokibi) ransomware attack that hit its North American and Australian IT systems over the weekend.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden would be discussing these recent ransomware attacks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the June 16 Geneva summit.

"It will be a topic of discussion in direct, one-on-one discussions — or direct discussions with President Putin and President Biden happening in just a couple of weeks," Psaki said in a press briefing.