NATIONAL MARITIME CYBERSECURITY PLAN operations. A 2020 ransomware attack on a shipping company affected protected supply shipments from Australia. 41 Adversaries frequently interfere with shipboard navigation systems by targeting PNT signals through spoofing or jamming. Spoofing causes intentionally inaccurate ship positioning or time used for critical systems, such as navigation or internet-enabled systems. Jamming prevents reception of positioning and timing data, potentially leading vessels at sea or in a narrow waterway to collide or run aground, hazarding shipping, seafarers, or the marine environment. The majority of these events have occurred against vessels operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Middle East, and South East Asia. 42 43 44 Fourteen maritime organizations sent a letter to the United States Coast Guard Commandant in 2019 to raise the threat of PNT jamming and spoofing to the IMO Council.” 45 The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) assesses the People’s Republic of China as a persistent cyber espionage threat to the United States military, economy, and critical infrastructure. China continues to use cyber espionage to strengthen its national and international standing in various sectors, such as transportation, science and technology, military modernization, and economic policy. 46 47 The Russian Federation’s whole-of-government cyber efforts manifest in malicious cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure sectors including elections infrastructure, energy, and maritime transportation. The 2017 NotPetya malware is a notable and public example of Russian cyberspace operations affecting the maritime environment. 48 49 This cyber-attack caused in excess of $10 billion in damages and disrupted commercial shipping globally. 50 Iran presents a multifaceted cyber-espionage, criminal, and cyber-attack threat. Iran sponsors nonState proxies who conduct increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. 51 “Iranian cyber actors [target] United States government officials, government organizations, and 41 Bruce Sussman, Shipping Giant Hit by 'Nuclear Ransomware' and Vows Not to Pay, https://www.secureworldexpo.com/industry-news/toll-shipping-nuclear-ransomware-attack, retrieved July 20, 2020. 42 United States Maritime Security Communications with Industry Alerts and Advisories, https://www.maritime.dot.gov/msci-advisories. 43 The Maritime Executive, Intellectual Capital for Maritime Leaders, Report on Russian Interference, Date of Information: 02-April-2019, accessed 12-April-2020, https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/report-russian-gpsspoofing-threatens-safety-of-navigation 44 United States Department of Homeland Security, Consequences to Seaport Operations From Malicious Cyber Activity, 2016, pp8 45 The Maritime Executive, Intellectual Capital for Maritime Leaders, Fourteen Maritime Organizations Protest Jamming and Spoofing, Date of Information: 25-June-2019, accessed 01-March-2020, https://www.maritimeexecutive.com/article/fourteen-maritime-organizations-protest-jamming-and-spoofing 46 ODNI WW TA 2019 + https://www.dni.gov/files/NCSC/documents/news/20180724-economic-espionage-pub.pdf 47 Brian Fonseca, Chinese and Russian Offensive Cyber Capabilities and Implications to the United States and its Partners in Latin America and the Caribbean, (New America Florida International University: September 2018). 48 Andy Greenberg, “The untold story of NotPetya: The Most Devastating Cyber-Attack in History,” Wired Magazine, 22-August-2018; accessed 22-June-2020, https://www.wired.com/story/notpetya-cyberattack-ukraine-russia-code-crashedthe-world/ 49 Brian Fonseca, Chinese and Russian Offensive Cyber Capabilities and Implications to the United States and its Partners in Latin America and the Caribbean, (New America Florida International University: September 2018). 50 Andy Greenburg, Wired Magazine, The Untold Story of NotPetya, the Most Devastating Cyberattack in History, August 2018. 51 Intelligence Report: CSIR-17006 Trends in the Targeting of the Maritime Sector, Crowdstrike, May 26, 2017 A-12