# Two oil tankers hit by cyberattacks heading to US

> Coast Guard and FBI probe suspected foreign hacks on vessels bound for America, with Iran a possible culprit.
- Title: Two oil tankers hit by cyberattacks heading to US · ABC News
- Summary: Coast Guard and FBI probe suspected foreign hacks on vessels bound for America, with Iran a possible culprit. Two oil tankers heading to the US were hit by…
- Keywords: coast guard, fbi, cyberattacks, oil tankers, iran, gulf of mexico, strait of gibraltar, maritime security, foreign cyber actors, vessel hacking, news, Two
- Source: ABC News — https://abcnews.com/Politics/coast-guard-fbi-investigating-after-2-oil-tankers/story?id=136482324
- Author: ABC News
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: coast guard, fbi, cyberattacks, oil tankers, iran, gulf of mexico, strait of gibraltar, maritime security, foreign cyber actors, vessel hacking, news
## Two tankers hit by cyberattacks
Coast Guard and FBI are investigating after two oil tankers bound for the US were hit with suspected cyberattacks last month.
## Specialized teams boarded first vessel
On Aug. 21, Coast Guard cyber protection members and an FBI cyber team boarded a foreign-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Mexico to check its systems.
## Ship lost contact for 30 hours
The vessel was hacked in the Strait of Gibraltar and lost communication for over 30 hours before being boarded by US authorities.
## Second tanker boarded days later
US officials boarded another cyberattacked tanker on Aug. 24 to conduct a similar assessment of its compromised systems.
## Iran suspected in the attacks
Authorities are investigating whether Iran or another actor seeking to exploit US-Iran conflict was behind the cyberattacks on both vessels.
## No operational damage reported
Officials say there were no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to crews, or environmental impacts from either attack.

> Currently, there are no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to crews, or environmental impacts.
## Key takeaway

Two oil tankers heading to the US were hit by cyberattacks in August, prompting Coast Guard and FBI investigations into possible foreign involvement.