DEF CON 33 - From Shanghai to the Shore: Threats in Global Shipping -K Miltenberger, N Fredericksen
Source: YouTube · DEFCONConference · published Oct 10, 2025 · 20:47
The Coast Guard identifies ship-to-shore cranes manufactured by ZPMC (a Chinese state-owned enterprise) as a critical supply chain risk due to their lack of cybersecurity controls and potential for disruption. 2:44
Key Takeaways:
• ZPMC dominates global crane manufacturing, with 80% of U.S. cranes made by them, raising supply chain vulnerabilities 5:06.
• Cranes have extensive attack surfaces including wireless remote controls, legacy protocols, and shared admin credentials, with poor segmentation and outdated systems 14:30.
• The Coast Guard has found unauthorized cellular modems on cranes—bypassing access controls and enabling remote access—posing a significant risk 15:59.
• Potential attack paths include supply chain compromises and lateral movement, with effects ranging from data manipulation to physical disruption 16:55.
• While no active attacks have been observed, the vulnerabilities suggest a high risk of future exploitation, especially given ZPMC’s data compliance with Chinese authorities 18:43.
The Coast Guard urges immediate action to secure crane systems, including contract review, elimination of remote access, and implementation of standard cyber hygiene practices. 20:07
Sources:
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First 800 characters of the transcript
Welcome to first talk of track 3 on Sunday. Uh we're going to get started, but fun fact, Kenny here knows all the words to Rosie the Response Vote. Um >> it's a children's book. >> That's what he said. Um anyways, uh please help me welcome Kenny and Nick. >> There you go. Good morning and welcome to From Shanghai to shore, the silent threat in global shipping. I'm Kenny Miltonberger and this is Nick Frederickson. And let's jump right into it. So here's what we're going to talk about today. We're going to do a brief introduction of ourselves and the Coast Guard. And then we're going to talk about cranes, why they're important, what they are, and what we're doing to protect them, and maybe some lessons we've learned along the way. But first, who are we? I am Lieutenant Commander Kenny Milton…