HYANNIS – The Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority tweeted that it has been the target of a ransomware attack that is affecting operations as of Wednesday morning. As a result, customers traveling with them today may experience delays. A team of IT professionals is currently assessing the impact of the attack. Additional information will be provided upon completion of the initial assessment.
12:30 p.m. update: The Steamship Authority was the target of a ransomware attack early Wednesday, June 2, 2021. The Authority continues to work internally, as well as with federal, state and local authorities, to determine the extent and origin of the attack. There is no impact to the safety of vessel operations, as the issue does not affect radar or GPS functionality. Scheduled trips to both islands continue to operate, although customers may experience some delays during the ticketing process. Customers are currently unable to book or change vehicle reservations online or by phone. Existing vehicle reservations will be honored at Authority terminals, and rescheduling and cancellation fees will be waived. If traveling with the Authority today, cash is preferred for all transactions. The availability of credit card systems to process vehicle and passenger tickets, as well as parking lot fees, is limited. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.
Late afternoon update: The Steamship Authority continues to work with our team internally, as well as with local, state, and federal officials externally, to address today’s ransomware incident. At this point, we are unable to release or confirm specific details of what occurred. The ticketing processes, including online and phone reservations, are expected to continue to be affected on Thursday, June 3, 3021. The Steamship Authority will continue to honor existing reservations at Authority terminals, and rescheduling and cancellation fees will be waived. Scheduled trips to and from the islands continue to operate safely as scheduled, although some delays in the ticketing process may occur. At this point, customers remain unable to book or change reservations online or by phone, and the use of cash is recommended. There is limited access to credit card systems at some terminal and parking locations but, to avoid delays on Thursday, cash is likely the best option for ticketing and parking. We thank our customers for their patience today, and we thank our employees for their hard work and grace under pressure. This will be the final update for this evening.
