DHAHRAN: SIRAJ WAHAB
Monday 10 December 2012
The attack that disabled 30,000 workstations at Saudi Aramco in August was not an inside job, and the Kingdom has initiated the process of setting up a national security center to combat cyber crime.
Disclosing the details of a joint investigation at the oil giant’s headquarters in Dhahran yesterday, Interior Ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki and Abdullah Al-Saadan, Saudi Aramco’s vice president for corporate planning and head of the investigating team, told reporters that none of the hackers was employed by Saudi Aramco or any of its contractors.
“The attack was planned and executed by an organized group outside the Kingdom having bases in several countries,” said Al-Turki.
The Interior Ministry statement puts to rest all speculation that has been circulating throughout international and local media that one or more Saudi Aramco insiders with high-level access had assisted the hackers.
“The attack originated from foreign soil, and at this point in time we do not wish to reveal the names of the countries and the identities of the hackers for fear of compromising the ongoing investigations and legal proceedings against them,” said Al-Turki.
Al-Saadan said the hackers not only wanted to cripple Saudi Aramco but aimed at striking the Saudi economy by disrupting the supply of oil to international and domestic markets.
Categories: Arab World, Asia, Saudi Arabia