Attack on Saudi Aramco - Cyber Shocks Shook the Middle East in 2012

Attack on Saudi Aramco - Cyber Shocks Shook the Middle East in 2012

In August 2012, Saudi Aramco, one of the world's largest oil companies, was hit by a destructive malware attack known as "Shamoon. Approximately 30,000 computers were infected simultaneously, devastating the company's network and bringing its business systems to a standstill for several weeks. The attacks went beyond mere information theft, and were accompanied by a strong political message, including the erasure of data and the display of a burning American flag on the screen. In the Middle East, political unrest has continued since the Arab Spring, and the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia has intensified. For the Saudi economy, which depends on oil revenues, Aramco is the heart of the nation, and the damage was felt not only domestically but also on the international market. Iranian involvement was suspected to be behind the attack, but the evidence was unclear, and a group calling itself the "Arabian Guard" issued a criminal statement, highlighting the unique attribu
tion difficulties of cyber attacks. The previous year, the U.S.-Israeli coalition had reportedly used "Stuxnet" to target Iranian nuclear facilities, and this incident was seen as retaliation. Saudi Aramco maintained its oil supply through manual operations and alternative routes, but if the control system had been directly targeted, extensive damage would have been unavoidable. This incident was seen as the beginning of cyber warfare in the Middle East and an opportunity to make the world aware of the vulnerability of national infrastructure defenses.