Aramco cyber attack targeted production Saudi Arabia has revealed that a cyber attack against its giant oil industry earlier this year aimed to stop crude oil and gas supplies, highlighting the devastating impact the virus could have had on global markets. Saudi Aramco, the state-owned company and the world's largest oil producer, initially said the attack had only affected desktop computers, but now the company has disclosed the real aim was to stop hydrocarbon production. "The main target in this attack was to stop the flow of oil and gas to local and international markets," Abdullah al-Saadan, Aramco's vice-president for corporate planning, told local media. He added that the hackers tried for a full month to bring down the system before succeeding in penetrating through certain weak points. Oil traders and energy diplomats have long suspected the attack aimed to stop production, but the confirmation will be likely to raise alarms about the security of global supplies at a time of high oil prices. Saudi Aramco accounts for more than 10 per cent of global oil supplies and holds most of the world's spare production capacity, making it the most critical piece in the intricate network of global oil supplies. Amrita Sen, at Energy Aspects, a London-based oil consultancy, said the cyber attack was a sign of the unstable situation of the Middle East. This is a new method of warfare. I will not rule out further attacks," she said. The same cyber virus that targeted Saudi Aramco, known as Shamoon, was also used to attack systems at Qatar's RasGas , one of the largest producers of liquefied natural gas, industry executives and internet security experts said. The wave of cyber attacks come amid growing tension between Saudi Arabia and other Arab oil producing countries and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme. The strains would be at the centre of the meeting of the Opec oil cartel this week. Ali Naimi, Saudi oil minister, last month said the attack on the national oil company failed to achieve its aims. "It could have been worse but there are protective devices which did not allow it," he told the Financial Times. Other energy-related companies in the kingdom have tightened their cyber security since the attack on Aramco. Mohammed al-Mady, chief executive of Sabic, the Saudi company that is the world's biggest petrochemical maker by value, said in an interview that the company had long ago identified the area as crucial. "Of course there is a limit to how much you can protect; if you want to be 100 per cent protected then you'll slow down your operations," he told the Financial Times. But cyber concerns do not only apply to the energy industry. Leon Panetta, the US defence secretary, pointed to the Aramco attack as an example of the escalating threat to cyber security and warned that the US could face a "cyber Pearl Harbor." A group calling itself the Cutting Sword of Justice claimed responsibility for the Aramco cyber attack in online posts. It said it was fed up of "crimes" and "atrocities" taking place in various countries around the world including Syria and Bahrain. Cyber security experts, however, believe that a state was behind the attack, an accusation now repeated by Saudi officials. The kingdom said that the hackers were based in several countries spread over four continents. Officials declined to name the countries while the investigation continues.