In September 2019, a Kuwait-based transportation and shipping company fell victim to a targeted cyberattack executed by the xHunt group (Hive0081), a known threat actor linked to state-sponsored campaigns. The breach occurred between May and June 2019, where malware infiltrated the company’s IT systems, compromising its operational integrity. The attack was part of a broader xHunt campaign aimed at Kuwaiti government entities and critical infrastructure sectors, including shipping and logistics. While the exact scale of the infection (e.g., number of compromised computers) was undisclosed, the infiltration posed significant risks to data security, operational continuity, and potential cascading effects on Kuwait’s supply chain and port operations. The incident highlighted vulnerabilities in the nation’s maritime cybersecurity defenses, raising concerns about espionage, data exfiltration, or disruptive intentions by the attackers. Given the strategic importance of the shipping industry to Kuwait’s economy and regional trade, the breach underscored the urgent need for enhanced cyber resilience in critical infrastructure sectors.
Source: https://www.cybersecurity-review.com/tag/xhunt/
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/al-bader-shipping-and-group-of-companies
"id": "al-654092125",
"linkid": "al-bader-shipping-and-group-of-companies",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "5/2019",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'transportation and shipping',
'location': 'Kuwait',
'type': 'company'}],
'date_detected': '2019-09',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2019-09',
'description': 'In September 2019, the Kuwait transportation and shipping '
'industry reported two major cybersecurity breaches on their '
'IT systems that occurred between May-June 2019. The company '
'was hit by a malware attack by the xHunt group (Hive0081), '
"resulting in the infiltration of the company's IT systems. "
'The attack was part of the xHunt campaign targeting Kuwait '
'government and shipping/transportation organizations.',
'impact': {'systems_affected': 'IT systems (number of infected computers '
'unspecified)'},
'initial_access_broker': {'high_value_targets': ['Kuwait government',
'shipping/transportation '
'organizations'],
'reconnaissance_period': 'May-June 2019 (attack '
'window)'},
'threat_actor': 'xHunt group (Hive0081)',
'title': 'Cybersecurity Breaches in Kuwait Transportation and Shipping '
'Industry by xHunt Group (2019)',
'type': ['malware attack', 'cybersecurity breach']}