The Port of Los Angeles, the busiest U.S. gateway for containerized trade, repelled more than 120 million cyberattack attempts in August, a volume that underscores the persistent digital threat to the infrastructure moving the bulk of the nation’s seaborne imports. Executive Director Gene Seroka disclosed the figure in a Bloomberg Television interview, describing a barrage of intrusion attempts, network exploitation, credential harvesting and malware deployment that tests the port’s defenses daily.
The numbers and the defense
Seroka said the port operates a seven-layer digital defense built in coalition with private-sector partners, a structure designed to absorb the scale of traffic the operations team now treats as routine. U.S. government agencies are separately tracking cyber threats directed at nearly 20 vessels worldwide, a reflection of how thoroughly modern shipping depends on digital navigation, communications and cargo-management systems. “All they have to do is to get it right one time,” Seroka said. “This is front of mind every day.”
Trade flows shift away from China
The port’s physical throughput is also being reshaped by tariff policy and supply-chain rerouting. Over the past decade, Vietnam’s business with the port has quadrupled, while China’s share of total throughput has fallen to 40 percent from 60 percent. Cargo volumes from Southeast Asia more broadly have increased over the past year and a half, a trend Seroka linked to shifting trade patterns rather than any single policy measure.
Canal constraints boost volumes
Disruptions at the two major interoceanic canals have delivered an unexpected tailwind. Low water levels in the Panama Canal have forced carriers from Asia to discharge on the U.S. West Coast and truck freight overland to East Coast markets, while security and weather concerns have diverted traffic away from the Suez route. The port just recorded its busiest three-month period on record across June through August, and Seroka said Panama Canal restrictions could add a further 5 percent to 10 percent to volumes as rerouted cargoes continue to arrive.