Iran-linked virus suspected in cyber-attack on Saudi government

[TomSea]

Iran-linked virus suspected in cyber-attack on Saudi government
Shamoon virus hit government computers last month - it was last used four years ago by hackers believed to be working for Iran

A destructive virus that four years ago crippled tens of thousands of computers at Middle Eastern energy firms has been used again to attack computers in Saudi Arabia, according to US security firms.

US security companies CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks Inc and Symantec on Wednesday said a new version of the "Shamoon" virus attacked Saudi government computers, which Riyadh said hit the kingdom's transport sector.

The attack originated outside the country and was one of "several ongoing cyber-attacks targeting government authorities", the interior ministry said.

Shamoon cripples computers by wiping their master boot records that they use to start up.

The reappearance of the virus is significant as there have only been a handful of other high-profile attacks involving disk-wiping malware, including on Saudi firms Aramco and RasGas in 2012, which CrowdStrike linked to hackers working on behalf of the Iranian government.

It is too early to say whether the same group was behind the new attack, the firm said.

Tehran has been investing heavily in its cyber capabilities since 2010, when its nuclear programme was hit by the Stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to have been launched by the United States and Israel.

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