Iran Oil Installations ‘Working Well’ - Officials

Iran’s Oil Ministry said today that the country’s oil installations are working well despite a major cyberattack on the computer systems of the Oil Ministry and its affiliates. The attack forced the authorities to disconnect the country’s main oil export terminals in the Persian Gulf from the Internet to contain the damage.

Deputy Oil Minister Hamdollah Mohammadnejad said in Tehran that all field units and exports of crude are working, the official news agency IRNA reported [IRNA, 24 April].

The virus attack began in earnest on Sunday afternoon. The officials said at the time that it had not affected the ministry’s computer system used in selling crude oil. ISNA reported that the virus called “wiper” had successfully erased information on hard disks at the Oil Ministry’s headquarters in Tehran.

The New York Times reported that the Web sites of several oil related institutions, like the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), which handles oil sales in the country, were down on Sunday and Monday.

Mehr News Agency also reported that access to the internal communications systems of most prominent oil and gas companies had been intentionally cut. Other affected organizations include the National Iranian Oil Processing and Distribution Company, National Iranian Gas Company, Iranian Offshore Oil Company, Pars Oil and Gas, and many other companies functioning under the NIOC, Mehr reported.