Two U.S.-bound vessels apparently compromised by hackers: officials

U.S. Coast Guard and ​FBI personnel boarded two commercial vessels bound for the United States ‌in the Gulf of Mexico last month after ​indications that hackers had broken into their computer ⁠networks, the agencies said on Thursday (September 17, 2026).

The unusual operation, carried out on August 21 and August 24 aboard two foreign-flagged ships, comes as ‌U.S. authorities grapple with a series of cyber incidents that media reports have linked to Iran since ‌the outbreak of conflict between Washington and Tehran.

The FBI ‌said ⁠a joint Coast Guard-FBI team boarded the vessels ⁠after receiving “indications that the networks of both vessels were compromised.”

The Coast Guard, which referred only to the August 21 boarding, said that “foreign cyber actors” ​were involved but did not ‌identify them.