UDPATE:Cyber-Attack Targets Iran Oil, But Exports Normal-Officials

Iranian authorities are investigating alleged cyber-attacks against Iran's oil ministry and possibly against the key export hub, though oil shipments haven't been affected, Iranian oil officials said Monday.

The computer attack--reminiscent of a virus that allegedly targeted Tehran's nuclear program in 2010--highlights potential new vulnerabilities for the Islamic Republic's oil exports, which international sanctions have already impeded.

Personnel at the Kharg oil terminal haven't been able to send or receive any e-mail since Sunday, said an oil official at the terminal, through which at least 80% of Iran's exports are shipped abroad. An investigation has begun into the suspected cyber-attack, he said.

But the e-mail shutoff is having "no effect on the exports," the oil official said. "There is a normal procedure at the terminal. We are using telephone, fax, SMS."

Iran's oil ministry website has also come under a cyber-attack, said Alireza Nikzad, a ministry spokesman, in a statement.

The ministry said its public web servers are isolated from the main servers.

"Critical oil [data] have not been compromised," Nikzad said.

The National Iranian Oil Co.'s website was also reportedly attacked. Both websites had been shut down for a few hours before returning to service, Iranian news agencies said.

In 2010, a cyber-attack in Iran using a highly sophisticated computer virus, called the Stuxnet worm, penetrated at least 30,000 computers. The virus specifically targeted machines linked to centrifuges carrying out uranium enrichment for its nuclear program.

Last month, Iran responded to the online threat by establishing a Supreme Council of Cyberspace--an initiative critics say will make a crackdown on Internet activists even worse.

Even before the current cyber-attacks, U.S. banking sanctions and a planned European embargo had targeted Iran's oil exports, which generate the majority of the Iranian government's revenue.

Last month, Iran's oil exports fell by 14%, declining for the first time this year, according to the Petro-Logistics oil consultancy.

Iran recently resumed talks with the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany, but Western governments have said they would continue to oppose Iran's nuclear program, which they suspect has military aims. Iran has said its nuclear program is only for peaceful uses.

-By Benoit Faucon; Dow Jones Newswires; +44 20 7842 9266; benoit.faucon@dowjones.com

NIO (NYSE:NIO)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024