AmosConnect 8 Hack News: Maritime Software Found Vulnerable to Hacking

By Vianne Ilagan, Christian Post Contributor Sunday, October 29, 2017

AmosConnect 8, a software used by maritime ships around the world, is vulnerable to hacking. This was recently found by some security researchers, who said earlier that if not fixed, flaws in AmosConnect 8's security system could give hackers total access to maritime companies' onboard systems and information.

On Thursday, a group of researchers at the U.S.-based cybersecurity firm IOActive revealed that the widely-used communication shipboard platform has severe software vulnerabilities that could put thousands of maritime ships around the world at risk of being hacked.

Produced by Stratos Global of the British satellite telecommunications firm Inmarsat, AmosConnect 8 basically works by providing people working at sea access to email, fax, and interoffice communication. Since shipping firms around the world usually handle confidential customer data and hold valuable deliveries, they tend to become hot targets for hackers. Hence, it is necessary for them to ensure their systems' security. Unfortunately, the IOActive recently found some critical vulnerabilities in AmosConnect 8's system that need to be fixed as soon as possible.

"The server stores usernames and passwords in plaintext, making this vulnerability trivial to exploit. If compromised, this flaw can be leverage to gain unauthorized network access to sensitive information stored in the AmosConnect server and potentially open access to other connected systems or networks," the researchers said.

Back in September 2016, Ruben Santamarta of IOActive revealed that he was easily able to gain full system privileges in AmosConnect 8.4.0 and other data stored therein because of the system's flaws. According to the company's principal security consultant, these flaws could leave the crew member and company data extremely vulnerable to hackers.

Due to the security flaws found in AmosConnect 8.0, the version has been discontinued upon the suggestion of IOSActive. The company is currently urging customers to either revert back to AmosConnect 7.0 or to switch to an email solution.