FBI and Coast Guard boarded US-bound oil tankers after signs the ships were hit with cyberattacks

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI and U.S. Coast Guard boarded two oil tankers bound for the United States to investigate after indications the ships' networks had been compromised by cyberattacks, officials said Wednesday.

Investigators on Aug. 21 and Aug. 24 responded to reported network breaches of two foreign-flagged commercial oil tankers, and a multiagency team of cyber experts boarded both vessels in the Gulf of Mexico to assess potential harm to the ships' operational and information technology systems, according to an FBI and Coast Guard statement.

“Currently, there are no reports of operational disruptions, vessel instability, physical danger to crews, or environmental impacts,” the statement said, adding that the crews of both ships had cooperated with investigators.

The statement did not identify a potential culprit believed responsible the breaches.