Iranian Oil Industry Hit By Cyber Attack

Iran has been targeted in cyber attacks in the past. (Arabian Business)

The Iranian regime was reportedly under cyber attack today.
Reuters reported:

Iran is investigating a suspected cyber attack on its main oil export terminal and on the Oil Ministry itself, Iranian industry sources said on Monday.

A virus was detected inside the control systems of Kharg Island – which handles the vast majority of Iran’s crude oil exports – but the terminal remained operational, a source at the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said.

The virus, which is likely to draw comparisons with the Stuxnet computer worm which reportedly affected Iranian nuclear facilities in 2009-10, struck late on Sunday.

It hit the internet and communications systems of Iran’s Oil Ministry and of its national oil company, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Computer systems controlling a number of Iran’s other oil facilities have been disconnected from the Internet as a precaution, the agency added.

Hamdullah Mohammadnejad, the head of civil defence at the oil ministry, was reported as saying Iranian authorities had set up a crisis unit and were working out how to neutralise the attacks.

1. 

   #1 April 23, 2012 at 12:50 pm

   bg commented:

   ++

   not to worry, think i heard we’ll be blacking in a week or so..

   ==

2. 

   #4 April 23, 2012 at 1:37 pm

   A Gryphon commented:

   i can’t understand why any entity, country, or industry would leave its computers connected to the internet if afraid of hacking or cyber attacks, USA included.

   it makes no sense

   if one needs to secure infrastructure, then DISCONNECT from those who intend to do harm.

   i suppose the argument is that nothing works unless connected to the ‘net.

   how did anything work before the internet??

   perhaps i’m oversimplifying the problem, but if the internet presents a problem, DISCONNECT!

3. 

   #5 April 23, 2012 at 1:38 pm

   democraps suck commented:

   too bad the virus can’t blow it all up

4. 

   #6 April 23, 2012 at 1:39 pm

   A Gryphon commented:

   i mean why are government computers that are chock full of national security information even connected to the ‘net at all? isn’t this just inviting trouble?

5. 

   #8 April 23, 2012 at 2:47 pm

   ebayer commented:

   Cool

6. 

   #9 April 23, 2012 at 2:54 pm

   chuck in st paul commented:

   If they’d just stop watching kiddie porn on the night shift this would never have happened.

7. 

   #11 April 23, 2012 at 10:22 pm

   elhrac commented:

   When Obama completes his “smartgrid”, a cyber attack like this could take down our entire country.