MSC Container Line Websites Back Online After Five-Day Outage
The online services of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the second largest container line in the world, are now back online after an extended outage.
The company's website, msc.com, and its online booking platform, myMSC.com, went offline last Thursday night. In the interim, customers were able to continue bookings by telephone through agents, as well as through third-party online platforms of companies including INTTRA, GT Nexus and CargoSmart.
The outage was restricted to MSC's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and did not affect any of the company's other departments, terminals, depots and facilities elsewhere in the world.
"MSC confirmed that a recent network outage .... has now been resolved and all internal systems are fully functional," the company said on Wednesday morning.
When the outage began, there were multiple reports that a cyberattack was to blame. In response to queries from FreightWaves, an MSC spokesperson responded last Friday that the company "did not rule out the possibility of malware."
FreightWaves sent multiple queries to MSC on Tuesday seeking confirmation that the outage was not the result of ransomware; MSC did not respond.
If it was a cyberattack, it would mark the third time a major container line has been hit in recent years.
Maersk was severely impacted by the so-called NotPetya attack in June 2017. The ransomware was believed to have targeted Ukrainian businesses; Maersk was caught in the crossfire, with disruptions causing a 20% drop in volume. Maersk said in its 2017 annual report that the attack cost the company $250 million to $300 million.
In July 2018, North and South American operations of Chinese carrier COSCO were hit by a cyberattack that disrupted communications systems for a week. Operations quickly recovered and disruptions were minimal.
Lars Jensen, CEO of Copenhagen-based SeaIntelligence Consulting, said in an online post, "Within less than three years, we have now seen the three largest container lines impacted by cyber incidents. In every case, it is clear that one of the most important mitigating factors is the people — the ability to keep the business running without the use of the digital tools for an interim period."
He continued, "A consequence of the pandemic will be the sharp acceleration in the use of digital tools, for a wide range of good reasons. This will also lead to a stronger dependence on the functioning of these tools.
"Fear of cyberattacks should not hold back this development," Jensen continued. "But everyone would need to consider carefully what their backup plans are and how to retain the practical skills with their people to manage a crisis situation, and not simply see this as an opportunity to reduce the staff, believing the tools to be infallible. People are indispensable in a digital world." Click for more FreightWaves/American Shipper articles by Greg Miller
Photo credit: Flickr/Tom Driggers
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