HOUSTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - U.S. oilfield services firm Halliburton (HAL.N), opens new tab on Wednesday was hit by a cyberattack, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Halliburton said it was aware of an issue affecting certain systems at the company and was working to determine the cause and impact of the problem. The company was also working with "leading external experts" to fix the issue, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The attack appeared to impact business operations at the company's north Houston campus, as well as some global connectivity networks, the person said, who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the record.
The company has asked some staff not to connect to internal networks, the person said.
Houston, Texas-based Halliburton is one of the largest oilfield services firms in the world, providing drilling services and equipment to major energy producers around the globe. It had nearly 48,000 employees and operated in more than 70 countries at the end of last year.
Cyberattacks have been a major headache for the energy industry. In 2021, hackers attacked the Colonial Pipeline with ransomware, causing a days-long shutdown to the major fuel supply line.
That breach, which the FBI attributed to a gang called DarkSide, led to a spike in gasoline prices, panic buying and localized fuel shortages.
Several major U.S. companies have suffered ransomware attacks in recent years, including UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N), opens new tab, gambling giants MGM Resorts International (MGM.N), opens new tab, Caesars Entertainment CZR.O and consumer good maker Clorox (CLX.N), opens new tab.
While its unclear what exactly is happening at Halliburton, ransom software works by encrypting victims' data. Typically, hackers will offer the victim a key in return for cryptocurrency payments that can run into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
If the victim resists, hackers sometimes threaten to leak confidential data in a bid to pile on the pressure.
The ransomware group DarkSide, suspected by U.S. authorities of the Colonial Pipeline attack, for example, said it wanted to make money. Colonial Pipeline's CEO said his company paid a $4.4 million ransom as executives were unsure how badly its systems were breached or how long it would take to restore the pipeline.
Exactly. The only thing that I really have to add is that I personally draw the line between social media and other types of websites or internet services is whether the service is intended to be used anonymously or connected to a real identity. I’d further divide the anonymous stuff between whether they are intended to be used with handles or without an account at all.
Under that personal definition, I would not consider stuff like BBS, Usenet, forums, AIM, etc., to be social media.
I also wouldn’t consider Discord to be social media tbh, it’s a messaging application. If Discord is social media why isn’t iMessage?
Something like Twitter, BlueSky, or Mastadon could be social media depending on how you use them, but since many people do utilize them with accounts linked to their real identity I would consider them social media.
Then you have the obvious social media stuff like FaceBook, and LinkedIn.
Now that I’m typing this out, stuff like Insta, TikTok, Snap, etc., get weird. I would personally consider them social media, but tons of people use those apps with handles. Maybe in addition to the anonymous or real identity thing there’s also the consideration of whether the site or app is intended to connect you with people you know in meatspace or online.
Yeah, I guess the distinctions I personally use are becoming a bit meaningless now.