Iran Probes Suspected Cyberattacks

WSJ.com—Iranian authorities are investigating alleged cyberattacks against the country's oil ministry and possibly against an important export hub, though oil shipments haven't been affected, Iranian oil officials said Monday.

The computer attacks, reminiscent of a virus that allegedly targeted Tehran's nuclear program in 2010, highlight potential new vulnerabilities for the Islamic Republic's oil exports, which international sanctions have already impeded.

Personnel at the Kharg oil terminal haven't been able to send or receive any email since Sunday, said an oil official at the terminal, through which at least 80% of Iran's exports are shipped abroad. An investigation has begun into the suspected cyberattack, he said.

But the email shutoff is having "no effect on the exports," the oil official said. "There is a normal procedure at the terminal. We are using telephone, fax, SMS."

Iran's oil ministry website has also come under a cyberattack, said Alireza Nikzad, a ministry spokesman.

The ministry said its public web servers are isolated from the main servers.

"Critical oil [data] have not been compromised," the spokesman said.

The National Iranian Oil Co.'s website was also reportedly attacked. Both websites had been shut down for a few hours before returning to service, Iranian news agencies said.

In 2010, a cyberattack in Iran using a highly sophisticated computer virus, called the Stuxnet worm, penetrated at least 30,000 computers. The virus specifically targeted machines linked to centrifuges carrying out uranium enrichment for its nuclear program.

Last month, Iran responded to the online threat by establishing a Supreme Council of Cyberspace—an initiative critics say will make a crackdown on Internet activists even worse.

Even before the latest suspected cyberattacks, U.S. banking sanctions and a planned European embargo had targeted Iran's oil exports, which generate the majority of the Iranian government's revenue.

Last month, Iran's oil exports fell 4%, declining for the first time this year, according to the Petro-Logistics oil consultancy.

Iran recently resumed talks with the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany, but Western governments have said they would continue to oppose Iran's nuclear program, which they suspect has military aims. Iran has said its nuclear program is only for peaceful uses.