The MSC Antonia, a boxship which ran aground three days ago on the Eliza Shoals, off the port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, may have been hit by a GPS spoofing attack.
GPS spoofing is basically an attack by criminal hackers who interfere with navigation systems, causing them to record a fake position and inducing captains to follow routes other than their own.
That is what may have happened to the Aponte group’s containership, which left Port Said on May 8th heading for Jeddah.
Specialist news site Splash247 reports how such incidents have multiplied alarmingly over the years, targeting not only ships but also aircraft and other vehicles. The spread of this type of hacking is mainly due to the fact that it can be carried out with limited costs.
According to a report by Thetius, CyberOwl and HFW published last year, it would only take $100 to buy the necessary equipment.
Analyst firm Windward notes how such incidents have successfully spread to high-risk areas, such as the Red Sea, where GPS signal spoofing continues to endanger ships, disrupting global trade.
Translation by Giles Foster