Riyadh: Saudi Aramco said on Thursday that company data had leaked from one contractor, but said it “did not have an impact” on the oil giant operation.
Aramco, Cash Cash Kingdom and the world’s largest energy company, did not respond to questions about the possibility of a cyber attack or ransom request.
“Aramco has recently been aware of the indirect release of a number of company data organized by third party contractors,” said the oil giant in a statement.
“We confirm that the release of the data is not because of our system violations, it has no impact on our operations, and the company continues to maintain strong cyber security posture.” Called “Ransomware” attacks are a more profitable form of taking digital hostages, where hackers encrypt victims’ data and then demand money for restored access.
Saudi Arabia, the largest crude exporter in the world, has been criticized for its infrastructure vulnerability, and has become a target of cyber attacks in the past.
In 2012, Aramco was one of the companies affected by Shamoon, malware wiped aggressive discs, in what was believed to be the worst cyber attack in the country.
At that time, US intelligence officials suspected Iranian involvement, Saudi Saidia rivals.
In 2016, Saudi media reported that cyber attacks had targeted several state institutions, as well as other vital structures.