Lockbit locks Japan’s Nagoya Port

The Russian-based threat group LockBit targeted the Port of Nagoya in a ransomware attack. Japan’s largest port is currently unable to load and unload containers from trailers.

According to the Nagoya Port Authorities, the attack was discovered on Tuesday, July 4th. They expect to succeed in restoring the system by 6:00 p.m. today and to be able to resume the port`s operations starting Thursday, July 6th, at 8:30 a.m.

The system failure occurred at around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday when an employee was unable to start a computer, according to the port authority.

A message indicating that the computer system had been infected with ransomware was somehow sent to a printer, a source familiar with the case said.

Until the system is restored, the port halted all container loading and unloading operations at the terminals.

Nagoya is Japan’s largest port and is responsible, among others, for a part of Toyota Motor`s exports and imports. By now, even if they cannot load or unload auto parts, Toyota claims there had been no disruption to its production. Additionally, the company stated that the attack didn’t impact the logistics of finished vehicles either, as they use a different computer system.

The port accounts for roughly 10% of Japan’s total trade volume. It operates 21 piers and 290 berths. It handles over two million containers and cargo tonnage of 165 million every year.

It is expected that this attack will lead to a massive financial losses and a disruption to the circulation of goods to follow due to the ransomware attack.