Cyber attackers target Iranian oil platforms

(Reuters) – Cyber attackers have targeted communication networks on Iranian offshore oil and gas platforms in the past few weeks, but their attacks have been repelled, a state official was quoted as saying on Monday.

Iran, the world’s No. 5 oil exporter, has tightened cyber security since its uranium enrichment centrifuges were hit in 2010 by the Stuxnet computer worm, which Tehran believes was planted by Israel or the United States.

Mohammad Reza Golshani, head of information technology for the Iranian Offshore Oil Company, told Iran’s Mehr news agency that a cyber attack had targeted the offshore platforms’ information networks.

“This attack was planned by the regime occupying Jerusalem (Israel) and a few other countries,” Golshani said, adding that Iranian experts were able to repel the attacks.

“Currently telephone operations on the platforms and in the areas of Iran’s oil and gas operations in the Persian Gulf are normal and have no problems,” he said.

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Article by Yeganeh Torbati, courtesy of Reuters.