The Port of Nagoya, Japan’s largest and busiest port, has fallen victim to a ransomware attack, leading to a disruption in the operation of its container terminals. With the port accounting for approximately 10% of Japan’s total trade volume, the impact of the attack is significant.
Furthermore, the ransomware attack targeted the “Nagoya Port Unified Terminal System” (NUTS), the central system responsible for controlling all container terminals in the port. As a result, container processing activities have been halted, causing substantial financial losses and severe disruptions to the flow of goods.
The port authority has issued a notice stating that the ransomware attack occurred on July 4, 2023, around 06:30 AM local time.
Additionally, investigations revealed that the system malfunction was caused by a ransomware infection. The administrative authority, in collaboration with the Nagoya Port Operation Association Terminal Committee and the Aichi Prefectural Police Headquarters, is working to restore the NUTS system by 6 PM on the same day, with plans to resume operations by 08:30 AM the following day.
Until operations can be fully restored, all container loading and unloading operations at the terminals using trailers have been canceled, resulting in significant financial losses for the port and causing major disruptions to the movement of goods to and from Japan.
This ransomware attack marks the most impactful cyberattack on the Nagoya Port Authority, although the port has previously experienced cyberattacks, including a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack in September 2022. As of now, the identity of the threat actor behind the ransomware attack remains unknown, as no group has claimed responsibility for the intrusion publicly.
