The North Carolina Ports Authority confirmed that a cyberattack disrupted IT systems across all three of its facilities — the Port of Wilmington, Port of Morehead City, and Charlotte Inland Port — in an incident detected on August 4. The authority activated its cybersecurity contingency plan and began recovery on the morning of August 5. The attack forced all facility gates to open at 8 a.m. on August 5, delaying port operations and truckers waiting to move cargo.
The Port of Wilmington is the most significant of the three, handling roughly 5,000 container gate moves per week. Together, Wilmington and Morehead handle 4.4 million short tons of bulk and breakbulk cargo annually, making them key regional logistics hubs for the southeastern United States.
As of August 7, the authority says operations are gradually returning to a normal schedule, though delays should still be expected as IT teams continue restoring affected systems and services. No threat group has publicly claimed responsibility, and the authority has not confirmed whether any data was stolen. The U.S. Coast Guard and state officials are investigating the incident alongside the authority’s own response. The attack follows a pattern of adversaries targeting maritime and port infrastructure, which the U.S. government has increasingly flagged as a high-risk sector.