Italian Oil Giant Eni, And GSE System And Operational Data Hacked

The Italian oil giant Eni SpA said Wednesday that its computer networks have been hacked in recent days and that the consequences so far appear to be minor. Eni confirms that the internal protection systems have detected unauthorized access to the company’s network in recent days, a company representative said.

The country’s largest energy company is working with local authorities to assess the consequences of the attack, the representative added.

Unidentified Hacker Left Eni and GSE Scrabbling Their Data

People familiar with the situation said it was likely a ransomware attack. The assault is a type of malware that locks computers and blocks access to files instead of payment.

Mirko Gatto said the Ransomware group is aware that to ensure continuity of services, energy companies may be willing to pay large ransom sums in exchange for unlocking the affected systems.

In addition, state-sponsored hackers may have an interest in carrying out malicious attacks on the energy sector in European countries that are particularly dependent on gas from Russia or sources outside of Europe.

Among other functions, GSE is one of the government agencies in charge of running Italy’s electricity market. The firm’s systems and operations remained blocked after the attack. The attack compromised servers, blocked workers from accessing emails or internal data, and suspended some energy market functions.

Issued Warning From Italy Cybersecurity

As a result of a routine check, the cybersecurity team found a defect and strengthened Eni’s IT infrastructures. Furthermore, the Company confirms that the internal protection systems detected unauthorized access to the corporate network in recent days.,

Notably, the firm, in collaboration with the competent Authority, is working to assess the consequences of the attack, which is currently minor. The hack followed another cyberattack on Sunday night affecting Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE), the Italian energy agency that runs the country’s electricity market.