Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten announced on December 14, 2020 that it had been hit by a major cyberattack, in which, according to the company, ransomware. The hackers behind the cyberattack appear to have aimed to take control of data and then demand a ransom in order to recover it.
The company's chief digital officer, Ole-Marius Moe-Helgesen, said in a statement: "This is a serious attack. Hurtigruten's entire global digital infrastructure appears to have been affected." In addition, the Norwegian cruise line said it alerted the relevant authorities on Sunday night to Monday when the cyberattack was discovered, noting that "the attack appears to be so-called ransomware.
As is well known, ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts the data of its target, locking the owner out of their own system until the victim agrees to pay to receive a decryption.
The cyberattack that hit the Norwegian cruise line comes at a time when Hurtigruten, like the rest of the cruise industry, is trying to cope with the conditions brought about by the global COVID-19.
In August, the company announced it was halting its so-called exploration and adventure cruises after COVID-19 was reported on one of its ships. At least 40 passengers and crew members from the Roald Amundsen cruise ship tested positive for the virus, according to public health officials. However, the company said at the time that its separate operations of transporting products and passengers to Norwegian ports would continue.
It is worth noting that Europe has a turnover of 14.5 billion euros annually and employs around 53,000 people, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). CLIA estimates that the damage caused to the industry by the pandemic could cost up to 25.5 billion euros in revenue.
