Cybercrime on the high seas:

Not new, and not only a problem for billionaires.

Since he was in proximity to the yacht in this penetration test the most likely vector is WLAN. (Confirmed a bit down the article.)
The attacker listens to the encrypted network traffic (thus proximity) and waits for a device connecting to it. With that small snippet of traffic the attacker moves to the next step, decryption of the access key. Either locally (insert time) or by a service in the cloud (insert money). - Everything to this point is passive and not detectable by the target.

If the attacker is impatient or no connection happens forcing a reconnect is also possible. This detectable, esp. if used often.
After that the attacker connects to the wireless (likely spoofing an existing device to avoid easy detection) and starts to map the network. Attached devices, other networks, etc. The next step is hopping to another network, rinse and repeat. At some point there is a list of enough interesting devices and the attacker will try to gain access to them. [...]
If this was an penetration test like in the article the target will get a conference and written report. If it was an actual attack the results will be less fun.

Everyone and everything with a wireless network is affected by this.

Companies, smaller boats, your home. The only question is if the ROI for the attacker is good enough. (For vanishing values of investment as attacks get improved and automated and decryption prices drop.)

What to do?
Use a current encryption system, old ones (WEP, WPA) are way easier to crack.
Turn off encryption systems you don't use...
Use a long password, the longer the more time and money it takes to crack it. "passw0rd" is not good enough and has not been for years.

If you already know how to do more, do so.
If you don't but easily have the money to pay someone who knows what they are doing? Do so. You already offer good ROI for attackers. Make it harder for them and try to notice an attack while it happens or that it happened.


Cybersecurity is something that won't go away. With the emerging Internet of Things it will get worse before things might improve in the future. (Millions of devices connected to the internet that won't get updates, what could possibly go wrong?) The iCloud celebrity hack showed that even the biggest companies have major flaws in their offerings.

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2017/05/yacht_security.html

Some pretty nasty comments at the bottom.