N.C. (WECT) – A cyberattack struck the North Carolina Ports IT system late Tuesday, disrupting operations at all three of the state’s port facilities, a spokesperson said
The breach, which occurred Aug. 4, affected the ports in Wilmington, Morehead City and Charlotte. Signs posted outside port gates read: “Operations Alert: System Issues. Expect Delays.”
A North Carolina Ports spokesperson said the agency’s IT team immediately activated its Cybersecurity Contingency Plan after discovering the attack. The agency also engaged several state and federal partners, including the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the North Carolina Department of Information Technology and the U.S. Coast Guard.
“In Wilmington, the operations team implemented a delayed opening and transitioned to manual gate processing, allowing the IT team to focus on system recovery efforts,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added the breach has since been contained and the agency is now in the recovery process. No timeline for full system restoration has been provided.
The identity of the outside actor or group responsible for the attack has not been disclosed. There is no indication at this time that sensitive data was compromised, according to the spokesperson.
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