Dubai Telegraph - European oil port terminals hit by cyberattack

EUR -
AED 3.854833
AFN 70.842978
ALL 98.075677
AMD 407.604571
ANG 1.885958
AOA 957.143769
ARS 1057.093376
AUD 1.620899
AWG 1.891723
AZN 1.780812
BAM 1.94671
BBD 2.112785
BDT 125.046132
BGN 1.957086
BHD 0.395588
BIF 3038.30149
BMD 1.0495
BND 1.408994
BOB 7.231373
BRL 6.09738
BSD 1.046384
BTN 88.205468
BWP 14.276611
BYN 3.424545
BYR 20570.19316
BZD 2.109371
CAD 1.474657
CDF 3013.113308
CHF 0.929573
CLF 0.037178
CLP 1025.854536
CNY 7.611024
CNH 7.614136
COP 4620.946964
CRC 534.688137
CUC 1.0495
CUP 27.811741
CVE 110.905837
CZK 25.276517
DJF 186.51722
DKK 7.458647
DOP 63.497795
DZD 140.238373
EGP 52.086037
ERN 15.742495
ETB 129.560857
FJD 2.389133
FKP 0.828388
GBP 0.83452
GEL 2.865435
GGP 0.828388
GHS 16.474638
GIP 0.828388
GMD 74.514077
GNF 9057.182336
GTQ 8.076137
GYD 218.923625
HKD 8.167831
HNL 26.473615
HRK 7.486353
HTG 137.338083
HUF 410.810368
IDR 16706.460195
ILS 3.824209
IMP 0.828388
INR 88.513069
IQD 1375.369293
IRR 44170.817668
ISK 145.104175
JEP 0.828388
JMD 165.238465
JOD 0.744408
JPY 160.427543
KES 135.913134
KGS 91.122843
KHR 4250.473525
KMF 492.162793
KPW 944.549288
KRW 1464.372094
KWD 0.32291
KYD 0.872045
KZT 522.490418
LAK 23052.260115
LBP 93982.693723
LKR 304.721381
LRD 188.726248
LSL 18.933171
LTL 3.0989
LVL 0.634832
LYD 5.137341
MAD 10.530153
MDL 19.12407
MGA 4910.608977
MKD 61.565484
MMK 3408.733928
MNT 3566.199758
MOP 8.387994
MRU 41.890784
MUR 49.148227
MVR 16.214668
MWK 1821.931462
MXN 21.690641
MYR 4.677089
MZN 67.071194
NAD 18.932901
NGN 1776.036553
NIO 38.579727
NOK 11.69151
NPR 141.128351
NZD 1.797468
OMR 0.40405
PAB 1.046424
PEN 3.965272
PGK 4.166377
PHP 61.885324
PKR 291.498726
PLN 4.307694
PYG 8166.02661
QAR 3.820808
RON 4.97683
RSD 116.993003
RUB 110.720688
RWF 1438.864022
SAR 3.943084
SBD 8.805922
SCR 13.772279
SDG 631.27191
SEK 11.53176
SGD 1.411976
SHP 0.828388
SLE 23.826447
SLL 22007.487903
SOS 599.792459
SRD 37.157507
STD 21722.523845
SVC 9.156247
SYP 2636.899209
SZL 18.933076
THB 36.410294
TJS 11.181299
TMT 3.683744
TND 3.324028
TOP 2.458031
TRY 36.374397
TTD 7.114847
TWD 34.024847
TZS 2775.926352
UAH 43.478489
UGX 3876.934664
USD 1.0495
UYU 44.591791
UZS 13465.080764
VES 49.006494
VND 26673.033631
VUV 124.598708
WST 2.929774
XAF 652.920809
XAG 0.0345
XAU 0.000399
XCD 2.836325
XDR 0.800447
XOF 658.559065
XPF 119.331742
YER 262.296216
ZAR 19.09328
ZMK 9446.766437
ZMW 28.855542
ZWL 337.938459
  • SCS

    -0.1800

    13.54

    -1.33%

  • BCC

    -4.0900

    148.41

    -2.76%

  • BCE

    -0.3900

    26.63

    -1.46%

  • RIO

    -0.9500

    62.03

    -1.53%

  • GSK

    -0.1300

    34.02

    -0.38%

  • JRI

    -0.1300

    13.24

    -0.98%

  • RBGPF

    0.8100

    61

    +1.33%

  • CMSD

    -0.1500

    24.43

    -0.61%

  • NGG

    -0.4300

    62.83

    -0.68%

  • CMSC

    -0.1600

    24.57

    -0.65%

  • AZN

    -0.0400

    66.36

    -0.06%

  • RELX

    0.2400

    46.81

    +0.51%

  • BTI

    0.3800

    37.71

    +1.01%

  • RYCEF

    0.0300

    6.8

    +0.44%

  • BP

    -0.3600

    28.96

    -1.24%

  • VOD

    -0.0500

    8.86

    -0.56%

European oil port terminals hit by cyberattack
European oil port terminals hit by cyberattack

European oil port terminals hit by cyberattack

Major oil terminals in some of Western Europe's biggest ports have fallen victim to a cyberattack at a time when energy prices are already soaring, sources confirmed on Thursday.

Text size:

Belgian prosecutors have launched an investigation into the hacking of oil facilities in the country's maritime entryways, including Antwerp, Europe's second biggest port after Rotterdam.

In Germany, prosecutors said they were investigating a cyberattack targeting oil facilities in what was described as a possible ransomware strike, in which hackers demand money to reopen hijacked networks.

Oil prices hit a seven-year high last month amid diplomatic tensions with gas supplier Russia, and energy bills are fuelling a rise in inflation that has spooked European policymakers.

According to a specialised broker, the alleged hacking is affecting several European ports and is disrupting the unloading of barges in this already strained market.

"There was a cyberattack at various terminals, quite some terminals are disrupted," said Jelle Vreeman, senior broker at Riverlake in Rotterdam.

"Their software is being hijacked and they can't process barges. Basically, the operational system is down," he said.

The EU's Europol police agency said it was aware of the incidents in Germany and had offered support to authorities.

"At this stage the investigation is ongoing and in a sensitive stage," Europol spokeswoman Claire Georges said.

One of the main victims seems to be the cross-border Dutch and Belgian Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp oil trading hub, where company IT systems were affected by the attack.

SEA-Tank Terminal, which has storage facilities in Antwerp, was hit, Belgian daily De Morgen reported.

The Dutch National Cyber Security Centre said the attacks were "probably committed with a criminal motive" and pledged to take further action "if necessary".

- 'Not grave' -

In Germany, two oil supply companies said they were victim to the cyberattack since Saturday January 29.

Both Oiltanking Deutschland GmbH and Mabanaft declared force majeure, an emergency legal clause that is used when a company cannot fulfil its supply contracts because of an unforeseeable event, a joint statement said.

"We are committed to resolving the issue and minimising the impact as quickly and effectively as possible," they said.

The head of Germany's IT security agency, Arne Schoenbohm, said at a conference on Tuesday that the incident was serious but "not grave", German media reports said.

According to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, an initial report from German security services identifies the BlackCat ransomware as the tool used in the cyberattack in Germany.

BlackCat emerged in mid-November 2021 as a software tool to allow hackers to seize control of target systems and has quickly gained notoriety for its sophistication and innovation.

According to US cybersecurity firm PaloAlto, BlackCat has the added advantage of being more lucrative than its rivals for the hackers who use it -- other ransomware platforms usually take a higher commission.

The experts also note that BlackCat's programmers use the Russian language, but this clue could be misleading since hackers often leave false clues to cover their tracks.

Recent ransomware attacks against targets in the United States and other western countries have been blamed on Russian-speaking hacker groups or those operating from Russian territory.

In June, US authorities said they had recovered a ransom payment paid by Colonial Pipeline to Russia-based ransomware extortionists Darkside, who had forced the shutdown of a major fuel network.

The attack caused short-term fuel shortages and drew attention to the broader threat that ransomware posed to essential infrastructure and services.

C.Akbar--DT