(AP) Lolita C. Baldor - A former U.S. government official says American authorities firmly believe that Iranian hackers, likely supported by the Tehran government, were responsible for recent cyberattacks against oil and gas companies in the Persian Gulf. A U.S. official said the Obama administration knows who launched the cyberattacks and that it was a government entity. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday the cyberattacks were probably the most destructive the private sector has seen to date. "Potential aggressors should be aware that the United States has the capacity to locate them and hold them accountable for their actions that may try to harm America." The cyberattacks hit Saudi Arabian state oil company Aramco and Qatari natural gas producer RasGas. Panetta said the Shamoon virus at Aramco rendered more than 30,000 computers useless, forcing them to be replaced.
2012-10-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive