Direct Ferries

In 2022, Direct Ferries, a UK-based ferry booking company, fell victim to a ransomware attack orchestrated by Hive, a ransomware group with suspected ties to Russian cybercriminals. The attack crippled the company’s booking systems, causing significant operational disruptions. As a ferry booking platform, the incident exposed critical vulnerabilities in travel and transportation infrastructure, where cyber threats can rapidly escalate into service outages, directly impacting customers. The attack likely led to financial losses due to halted transactions, reputational damage from public awareness of the breach, and potential customer distrust in the platform’s security. While the exact scope of data compromise (e.g., customer PII or payment details) was not explicitly detailed, the disruption to core business operations a hallmark of ransomware aligned with patterns where attackers encrypt systems to extort payment, often threatening prolonged downtime or data leaks. The incident underscored the broader risk to logistics and travel sectors, where cyberattacks can paralyze essential services and erode consumer confidence.

Source: https://www.breachsense.com/breaches/direct-ferries-data-breach/

TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/direct-ferries-ltd

"id": "dir755092125",
"linkid": "direct-ferries-ltd",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "6/2022",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'travel and transportation (ferry booking '
                                    'services)',
                        'location': 'United Kingdom',
                        'name': 'Direct Ferries',
                        'type': 'private company'}],
 'description': 'In 2022, Direct Ferries, a UK-based ferry booking company, '
                'experienced a ransomware attack by Hive, a ransomware group '
                'suspected to be linked to Russian actors. The attack affected '
                'the company’s booking systems, highlighting the '
                'vulnerabilities of travel and transportation services to '
                'cyber threats, where disruptions can quickly impact customer '
                'services.',
 'impact': {'operational_impact': 'disruption to customer services (ferry '
                                  'bookings)',
            'systems_affected': ['booking systems']},
 'motivation': 'financial (ransomware)',
 'ransomware': {'data_encryption': True, 'ransomware_strain': 'Hive'},
 'threat_actor': 'Hive (suspected Russian-linked ransomware group)',
 'title': 'Ransomware Attack on Direct Ferries by Hive Group',
 'type': 'ransomware'}