据熟悉此事的美国官员透露，联邦调查局与美国海岸警卫队的调查人员发现，今年夏天一艘巨型油轮在靠近德克萨斯州海岸时，其推进系统遭到了黑客入侵。这一极为罕见的网络安全事件凸显了网络攻击所带来的现实风险正日益凸显。
By Jake Bleiberg and Ruth Liao FBI and US Coast Guard investigators have found evidence that hackers accessed the propulsion system of an oil supertanker as it was approaching the Texas coast this summer, according to US officials familiar with the matter, an extraordinary breach that highlights the growing physical risks from cyberattacks.
这些不愿透露姓名的官员称，此次网络攻击使得外部人员得以暂时接入该油轮的数字控制系统。目前当局仍在调查此次入侵的具体经过及肇事者身份。至于黑客获得系统访问权限的时长，以及他们借此控制了船上哪些设备，目前尚不清楚。
The cyberattack resulted in outsiders gaining temporary access to the digital system on the ship, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter. Officials are still examining how the breach occurred and who was responsible. It wasn’t immediately clear how long the hackers had access and what they could’ve controlled aboard the ship with it.
此次油轮推进系统遭入侵属于极为罕见且极具侵入性的网络攻击案例，这也正是美国当局于8月份登船检查“VL Prosperity”号的原因。该油轮的长度超过克莱斯勒大厦的高度，宽度相当于一个美式橄榄球场，当时正满载货物驶向加尔维斯顿港。
The breach of the tanker’s propulsion system, a rare and particularly invasive hack into a ship’s operations, underscores the urgency that led US authorities to board the VL Prosperity in August. The carrier — which is longer than the Chrysler Building is tall and as wide as an American football field — was fully-laden and bound for Galveston.
美国海岸警卫队拒绝就此事发表评论。联邦调查局除重申此前发布的联合声明外，未回应其他提问。该声明称，两机构联合登船检查“VL Prosperity”号及另一艘船只，是为了“在发现两艘船的网络系统均遭入侵后，确保船舶运行及信息技术系统的安全性”。联邦调查局在邮件声明中补充道：“目前尚未出现任何运行异常、船舶稳定性受损、船员安全受到威胁或环境受到影响的报告。”
The Coast Guard declined to comment. The FBI declined to answer questions beyond providing a statement the two agencies previously released about their joint boarding of the VL Prosperity and another ship “to ensure integrity of the vessel’s operational and information technology systems following indications that the networks of both vessels were compromised.”“Currently, there are no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to crews, or environmental impacts,” the FBI said in the emailed statement.
身份不明的黑客可能远程操控这类超大型原油运输船的运行系统，这一前景已令美国军事和情报官员深感不安。这凸显出有关网络攻击威胁海运业的警告；近年来，随着船舶日益依赖联网系统进行导航、通信及其他作业，此类攻击愈发猖獗。
The prospect of unknown hackers potentially being able to remotely control the operational system of such a tanker, known as a Very Large Crude Carrier, has alarmed US military and intelligence officials. It highlights warnings about cyberattacks targeting the maritime sector, which have escalated in recent years with shipping vessels becoming increasingly dependent on network-linked systems for navigation, communications and other operations.
专注于海运网络安全的True North Group公司负责人亚历克斯·苏哈诺夫表示，已得到确认的船舶系统黑客入侵事件很少见，但可能造成巨大影响。
Alex Soukhanov, whose firm True North Group works on maritime cybersecurity, said confirmed hacks of ships’ systems are rare but can have a huge impact.
“这些船是全球最大的移动物体，承担着世界经济的运输，”持证船长苏哈诺夫说，“我们绝不能容忍这种未经授权的访问。每一名海员都应保持高度警惕。”据彭博新闻此前报道，8月下旬，海岸警卫队和联邦调查局人员组成联合小组，在VL Prosperity号失去通信且当局获得迹象显示其网络遭黑客入侵后登船检查。当月，这两家机构还因疑似网络威胁登上墨西哥湾的另一艘船。
“These are the largest moving objects in the world transporting the world’s economy,” said Soukhanov, who is a licensed ship captain. “We just can’t have this type of unauthorized access. Every mariner should be extremely concerned.”In late August, a joint team of Coast Guard and FBI personnel boarded the VL Prosperity after it lost communications and authorities got indications that its network had been compromised by hackers, Bloomberg News previously reported. That month, the agencies also boarded another vessel in the Gulf of Mexico due to a suspected cyber threat.
彭博新闻此前报道，截至9月，美国政府机构正在追踪针对全球近20艘运输船的网络威胁；海岸警卫队还要求，如果上述任何船舶计划进入美国港口，应提前通知。
By September, US government agencies were tracking cyber threats against nearly 20 shipping vessels around the world, and the Coast Guard has asked for advance notice if any of those ships planned to come into a US port, Bloomberg previously reported.
船舶技术咨询公司DNV网络安全主管斯万特·埃因拉松表示，一艘装载危险物料的大型船只在网络攻击中失去部分功能，将是“最坏的情形”。不过，埃因拉松补充说，大多数船舶都有备用系统，可让船员继续作业。
It would be the “worst case scenario” for a large vessel carrying hazardous material to lose some of its functions in a cyber attack, said Svante Einarsson, head of cyber security at ship technical advisory firm DNV. But, Einarsson added, most vessels have the ability to fall back on other systems that allow crews to to continue operations.
据彭博汇编的航运数据，Prosperity号目前仍在加尔维斯顿外海锚泊。
The Prosperity remains anchored offshore Galveston, according to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg.