Source: https://cobaltstrike.net/2022/03/10/243-gb-of-data-from-two-major-chinese-seaports-ended-up-online/
The Cybernews research team discovered an open ElasticSearch database, which contained more than 243 GB of data with a detailed description of the current and past locations of ships of two major Chinese seaports. According to experts, the data belong to the Yangtze River ports in Nanjing and Zhangjiagang.
This problem could potentially disrupt the supply chain of up to 70 thousand tons of cargo per day and lead to serious consequences for international transportation.
ElasticSearch lacks a standard authentication and authorization system, which means that data must be protected by a firewall. Otherwise, attackers can gain free access to the information, change or delete it. Push Access logs zjgeport.com The data found in the ElasticSearch database contained user IDs and API keys that could theoretically provide universal access, allowing cybercriminals to record new data about the current location of the ship.
The problem has put at risk up to 3,100 ships that annually transport more than 250 million tons of cargo to two ports. Zhangjiagang’s main cargoes include steel, wood, coal, cement and chemical fertilizers, while Nanjing usually trades in commodities such as metal ore, light industry goods, petroleum and pharmaceutical products.