Cyberattack Shuts Down Port of LA's Largest Terminal

LOS ANGELES, CA — A global cyberattack shut down the Port of Los Angeles' largest terminal Tuesday.

The attack, which hit computers at companies in Europe and around the globe, halted operations at the APM Terminal, owned by Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk, at about 6 a.m.

Maersk issued a statement confirming that it was "hit as part of a global cyber attack named Petya, affecting multiple sites and select business units. We are responding to the situation to contain and limit the impact and uphold operations."

Petya locked users and companies out of essential computer files, demanding a fee be paid before the information would be unleashed.

RELATED:

• Ransomware Cyberattack Spreads Globally
• Meet The Surfer Kid Who Killed The WannyCry Cyber Attack

"The Department of Homeland Security is monitoring reports of cyber attacks affecting multiple global entities and is coordinating with our international and domestic partners," DHS said in a statement. "We stand ready to support any requests for assistance. Upon requests, DHS routinely provides technical analysis and support. Information shared with DHS as part of these efforts, including whether a request has been made, is confidential. "

The attacks appeared to first start in Ukraine. The software used resembles Wannacry, the ransomware responsible for multiple cyberattacks in recent months, most notably in May during an attack that gravely threatened the British health service. (For more national stories, subscribe to the Across America Patch and receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

The ransomware attack hit businesses and government agencies in at least six European countries, including Ukraine, and spread to computers in the United States, India and Australia, according to various overseas media reports, which also indicated the attack had taken out servers at Russia's biggest oil company.

Phillip Sanfield, a spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles, said operations at the APM Terminal ceased at 6 a.m. He said a ship had left the terminal before 6 a.m. and by "happenstance" no other ships were due to dock there Tuesday or Wednesday, but other work had come to a halt as a result of the attack.

"When a terminal doesn't have a ship it still does some landside operations. It prepares for the next ship and there's a lot of cargo moving around the docks on the landside, and from what I understand they stopped those operations today due to the issue. They haven't given us any ETA on when they are due back up," Sanfield said.

Sanfield also said Maersk told its trucking companies not to come to the terminal. The other terminals at the port were operating normally, he said.

City News Service and Patch staffers Cody Fenwick and Paige Austin contributed to this report. Photo: Public Domain via Pixabay