LABOUR MINISTRY HIT BY CYBER ATTACKS IN KSA

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Saudi Arabia has warned organizations on Monday to be on the alert for cyber attacks that includes a version of the extremely destructive Shamoon virus, as a chemicals firm reported disruption in it's network and the Ministry of Labor and Social Development said it had been attacked.

(pc-Google Images)

An alert from the telecoms authority advised all parties to be vigilant for attacks from the Shamoon 2 variant of the virus that in 2012 damaged of tens of thousands of computers of the oil giant Saudi Aramco.

The labor ministry, meanwhile, stated that it had been hit by a cyber attack, but that its data is still intact. It said that Human Resource Development Fund (Hadaf) had also been hit, while the impact remains minimal.

Sadara Chemical Co, a joint venture firm owned by Saudi Aramco and U.S. company Dow Chemical based in Jubail, said it had also experienced a network disruption on Monday morning and was continuously working to resolve the issue.

The company made the disclosure on its official Twitter account after the warning by Al Ekhbariya TV, which cited the telecoms authority.

It did not explain whether the disruption was due to a cyber attack but said as a precaution, it had stopped all services related to the network. Other companies in Jubail, the hub of the Saudi petrochemicals industry, also experienced network disruptions, according to sources.