Garmin Hacked / ransom paid.

You can't download the latest Navionics Charts to your tablet/phone, which in itself affects boaters.

Given that I assume you can get hold of the latest Garmin/Navionics charts for your plotter if they are electronically distributed.

I'm sure there are people who log their sailing with a fitness watch - I do.

I bet Garmin Customer services aren't answering the phone right now or are swamped.

So it does affect boaters. How significant that effect is depends on the individuals circumstances.
Makes little difference to me, but I bet there are people who can't go on a trip because they need support to get something working or they planned to download the required cartography before they left and can't.
Interesting to hear how people do navigation.

I am in the stone ages as far as electronic navigation onboard is concerned, although a past member of the Royal Institute of Navigation and have a keen interest in the development of GPS. I have a chartplotter onboard that has a UK chart that must be at least 10 years out of date and is used much as your watch to collect data (so far I've not see the UK move about much). My primary navigation tools are a chart, a compass, a 2B pencil and Breton Plotter.

How often do people update their electronic charts? Would having a chart that is a month out of date really stop them from going out to sea?
 
I’m a little confused as I’ve been updating both my Navionics app charts and Chartplotter charts during the last three weeks about every other day and never seen any problems at any time.
 
Interesting to hear how people do navigation.

I am in the stone ages as far as electronic navigation onboard is concerned, although a past member of the Royal Institute of Navigation and have a keen interest in the development of GPS. I have a chartplotter onboard that has a UK chart that must be at least 10 years out of date and is used much as your watch to collect data (so far I've not see the UK move about much). My primary navigation tools are a chart, a compass, a 2B pencil and Breton Plotter.

How often do people update their electronic charts? Would having a chart that is a month out of date really stop them from going out to sea?

The question was how did it affect boaters, I offered a few ways. (Although if Daverw's experience is typical maybe it didn't.)

Daverw does answer your last but one question in at least one case...
 
That was because of poor seamanship.

As for the downloading of malware, it theoretically could be done, but when was the last time you upgraded your plotter?

Commercial ships are obliged as part of their SMS procedures to keep their charts updated. If using electronic charts this is no problem via a data Sat. link. It is a non conformance if an auditor finds a chart that is more than 7 days behind on updates. Possibly some leisure boats are doing like wise. Where do you think the Navionics Sonar chart information comes from :)
 
Where do they come from? Usually an SD card but most boaters don't update their charts more than once a year (even if that).


Commercial ships are obliged as part of their SMS procedures to keep their charts updated. If using electronic charts this is no problem via a data Sat. link. It is a non conformance if an auditor finds a chart that is more than 7 days behind on updates. Possibly some leisure boats are doing like wise. Where do you think the Navionics Sonar chart information comes from :)
 
Most people I know update the chart plotter charts every few weeks, its so easy so why not? If you use the Navionics sync and routing function you have paid for the years updates anyway.
 
That was because of poor seamanship.

As for the downloading of malware, it theoretically could be done, but when was the last time you upgraded your plotter?
I don't know why everyone is in such denial. Everything can be hacked ffs. Everyone know this. Just saying thats all. GOOGLE please and do your own research!!!

AIS systems around the world rely on one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to determine a ship’s position. These signals can be jammed or spoofed, resulting in no or false position reports. It is easy to imagine how this can cause safety risks for ships, especially in poor visibility conditions or when traffic is very busy.
 
How did this affect boats? Total non event as far as boating is concerned.
Really?

'The concern that AIS is a gateway where hackers could gain access to a vessel’s systems is obviously a very worrying one, as race of keeping up with new technology continues.
The costs for shipowners are also not insignificant as the industry battles with regulation and economic turmoil.
“The cost you are looking at is £5-10,000 to install cyber security on each vessel. How will that impact the owner that is operating a bulk carrier with low cost factors?”, Watts adds.
AIS technology has been around for a long time and “is not designed to do what it is doing”, adds Watts. Currently IMO approved vessel tracking is done through long range identity & tracking (LRIT), but looking forward to the future more thought needs to be given about AIS and the part that it plays in both communications and security of a vessel.'
 
Where do they come from? Usually an SD card but most boaters don't update their charts more than once a year (even if that).

Obviously from leisure boats as the density of input is usually highest in the vicinity of marinas. However they do it is a wee bit sneeky but very useful for some :)
 
Really?

'The concern that AIS is a gateway where hackers could gain access to a vessel’s systems is obviously a very worrying one, as race of keeping up with new technology continues.
The costs for shipowners are also not insignificant as the industry battles with regulation and economic turmoil.
“The cost you are looking at is £5-10,000 to install cyber security on each vessel. How will that impact the owner that is operating a bulk carrier with low cost factors?”, Watts adds.
AIS technology has been around for a long time and “is not designed to do what it is doing”, adds Watts. Currently IMO approved vessel tracking is done through long range identity & tracking (LRIT), but looking forward to the future more thought needs to be given about AIS and the part that it plays in both communications and security of a vessel.'

I can’t see any way a pleasure vessels system can be hacked by a VHF Class B AIS transceiver. You are off on a personal tangent here, nothing to do with the original post about Garmin.

Yes there is a big issue in merchant ships making connections between various system networks which mean a hacker could get into one network, and bridge across to their navigation systems. But these are very different targets to most pleasure yachts.
 
Usually an SD card but most boaters don't update their charts more than once a year (even if that).

A few years back maybe, perhaps even never, but my Navionics app prompts me to download any new charts any time I'm connected to Wifi and updates are available. Included within the price of the app. (I was just prompted, which reminded me of this thread.)

A significant number of us are typically going to sea with Charts updated within hours.

Then there's community edits...
 
Last edited:
Some (all?) current Garmin plotters have WiFi . They*could* be hacked. I'm sure they're well protected but you'd assume about Garmin's corporate network as well.

A pedantic point, and nothing to do with the current situation, but any of us can talk to a Garmin plotter over wi-fi. How far that gets us depends on how good we are and how good they are.

(As I say, a pedantic point really, I won't be losing sleep over it - apart from anything else what would the motive be, stealing someone waypoints?)
blue tooth - yes.
 
Top