The North Carolina Ports Authority has confirmed a cyberattack impacted its IT systems, causing disruptions and delays across its three facilities: the Port of Wilmington, the Port of Morehead City, and the Charlotte Inland Port. The incident was detected on August 4, prompting the activation of the authority's cybersecurity contingency plan, with recovery efforts commencing on the morning of August 5.
The attack led to a systems-wide outage, affecting operations at all three locations. Gates at the ports opened at 8 a.m. on August 5, resulting in delays for port operations and truckers. The Port of Wilmington, the largest of the three, handles approximately 5,000 container gate moves weekly and has an annual capacity of 600,000 TEU. Together, Wilmington and Morehead City manage 4.4 million short tons of bulk and breakbulk cargo annually.
While the authority did not identify a specific threat actor or confirm any data theft, it has been working to restore affected systems and services. A notice on the port authority's website indicated that operations are gradually returning to normal, though continued delays should be anticipated.
As of August 7, the ports were expected to follow a normal operating schedule, with vessel activity proceeding as planned. However, the ongoing assessment and restoration of IT systems mean that delays could still occur. No threat groups have publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.
