• ATTACK: Mexico’s state-owned oil company Pemex said late Monday that it had been the target of a cyber attack that affected 5% of its internal computer network on Sunday but tried to dispel reports about a larger damage saying that production and supply were guaranteed.
• RYUK: On Monday, Reuters reported that internal emails from Pemex revealed that the company may have been affected by Ryuk, a strain of ransomware that targets large companies; in January 2019, four cyber-security firms said the origin of Ryuk were Russian criminals with financial goals.
• GLITCH: “The problem did arise: there was the cyber attack. It prevented [Pemex] from working. Nothing could be done because the system was down. Right now it started working in some terminals”, said Pablo González, president of Mexico’s largest association of gasoline station owners.
• PRECEDENT: Back in July, the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts in the US saw its internal computer system compromised by a Ryuk attack where the perpetrators demanded USD 5.3 million in order to restore access; it’s unclear whether Pemex received any specific request.
