Port of Houston targeted by cyberattack in August, officials say
Authorities suspect a "nation-state actor" in the cyberattack on one of the country’s busiest ports
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The Port of Houston thwarted an attempted cyberattack last month, officials from the facility confirmed on Thursday.
"The Port of Houston Authority (Port Houston) successfully defended itself against a cybersecurity attack in August," port officials said in a statement. "Port Houston followed its Facilities Security Plan in doing so, as guided under the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA), and no operational data or systems were impacted as a result."
The port authority did not provide further details about the attempted hack. The hackers attempted to breach computer systems by exploiting a password management service called ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus, the Associated Press reported.
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Earlier Thursday, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly disclosed the attempted hack during a Senate committee hearing and said authorities suspected a "nation-state actor" was responsible. Easterly did not say which country was suspected.
"We are working very closely with our interagency partners and the intelligence community to better understand this threat actor so that we can ensure that we are not only able to protect systems, but ultimately to be able to hold these actors accountable," Easterly said.
The Port of Houston is one of the country’s busiest ports. The facility supports a total of $801.9 billion in economic impact throughout the country, according to port officials.
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The attempted hack was the latest in a series of cyber-related incidents targeting key U.S. infrastructure in recent months. Russia-linked group REvil conducted ransomware attacks against IT software firm Kaseya and meat supplier JBS earlier this year.