American Bureau of Shipping

The American Bureau of Shipping, also operating under the name ABS Group, is headquartered in the United States of America. While specific details regarding its core products, services, and market scope are not elaborated within the provided context, the organization handles sensitive data significant enough to be targeted in cyberattacks. This indicates involvement in operations requiring the secure management of valuable information, potentially related to its function within its sector. The nature of the data compromised suggests the organization plays a role where confidentiality and integrity of information are critical concerns.

In December 2020, the American Bureau of Shipping was compromised as part of a broader attack campaign exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in Accellion's legacy File Transfer Appliance. Attackers associated with the Clop ransomware gang and the FIN11 threat group gained unauthorized access. Instead of deploying ransomware, they utilized a novel web shell named DEWMODE to exfiltrate sensitive files. This breach leveraged SQL injection and command execution vulnerabilities within the compromised Accellion system to achieve initial access and facilitate data theft. Following the exfiltration, the attackers conducted an extortion campaign, threatening to publicly release the stolen data unless payments were made. This incident underscores the organization's exposure to sophisticated cyber threats targeting third-party service providers and the severe consequences of such breaches.