[LINK] Major Aussie defence ship-builders hacked

[Tom Worthington]

On 7/12/23 19:51, Stephen Loosley wrote:

> Navy contractor Austal USA confirms cyberattack after data leak By
> Bill Toulas   December 6, 2023 12:16 PM 
> https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/navy-contractor-austal-usa-confirms-cyberattack-after-data-leak/

This is more a commercial concern, than national security. Austal
makes high speed aluminum car ferries, and military vessels derived from
those designs. Anyone who wanted to know how to design such ships could 
buy a ticket on a ferry and ask for a tour. Much of the art is not in 
the design, but the difficulty of training staff to weld large aluminum 
structures.

There is one area where the cyber attack is of concern. Austal has been 
trialing remote operation of its ships. A high speed military supply 
ship could then deliver cargo with no one on board, or a patrol boat 
make routine patrols. You would not want a terrorists hacking into the 
system, taking control and hijacking a ship load of military supplies, 
or one armed with a cannon. 
https://www.austal.com/news/austal-australia-undertake-patrol-boat-autonomy-trial-royal-australian-navy


-- 
Tom Worthington http://www.tomw.net.au