Dec 15 (Reuters) – Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA was subject to a cyber attack orchestrated by the U.S. and domestic conspirators, the company and the country’s oil ministry said in a statement on Monday, adding operations have been unaffected, though four sources said systems remained down, affecting oil cargo deliveries.
The attack comes amid high tensions between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments, including a large-scale U.S. military buildup in the southern Caribbean, U.S. strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats which have killed some 80 people, comments from U.S. President Donald Trump that land operations may begin soon in Venezuela and accusations from the Venezuelan government that the U.S. is seeking regime change to take over the country’s vast oil reserves.
A tanker seizure last week – the first U.S. capture of Venezuelan oil cargo since sanctions were imposed in 2019 – has already led to a sharp fall in Venezuelan oil exports, also hitting crisis-stricken Cuba, which is facing daily power cuts.
The attack by “foreign interests in complicity with domestic entities who are seeking to destroy the country’s right to sovereign energy development” was beaten back thanks to PDVSA staff, the statement said, adding the attack was part of U.S. efforts to control Venezuela’s oil through “force and piracy.”
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The statement provided no further details of the attack. Venezuela’s government regularly blames problems like black outs on conspirators from the opposition and foreign entities like the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, without giving evidence.
But sources said effects were ongoing.
“There’s no delivery (of cargoes), all systems are down,” one company source said.
Other sources said PDVSA ordered administrative and operational workers to disconnect from the company’s systems and to limit access of indirect workers to PDVSA’s facilities.
(Reporting by Reuters)
