Iranian oil industry hit by cyber attack

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 [ID:nPOM731768], 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.