Ransomware Attack Hits Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard Ferry Service

Steamship Authority Hit by Cyberattack 

Passengers planning to make their way over to the islands of Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket on Wednesday could see delays due to a ransomware attack, The Steamship Authority said Wednesday.

The Steamship Authority is the largest ferry service to the Massachusetts Islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket from Cape Cod.

“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 operator said in a statement. “As a result, customers traveling with us today may experience delays.”

The company said that a team of IT professionals was assessing the impact of the attack and that additional information would be provided upon completion of the initial assessment. 

The web-based online reservations system is currently unavailable, and phone-based reservations are also offline. A reservations agent told SecurityWeek that the reservations system “had crashed” and that they were “hoping” to be back and running by 12PM, but as of 9PM, systems were still offline with customers unable to book or change vehicle reservations online or by phone.

Just after 12PM ET, the Steamship Authority Tweeted that all ferries were operating, but reservations systems still appeared to be offline.

“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,” they tweeted at 12:48PM ET.

News of the attack comes just days after a US subsidiary of the world’s largest meat processing company was hit by a disruptive ransomware attack.

*Updated with additional details throughout the day