Hackers Hit Italian Oil Company Eni’s Computer Networks

Eni's logo is seen in front of its headquarters in San Donato Milanese, near Milan, Italy, April 27, 2016. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
Eni's logo is seen in front of its headquarters in San Donato Milanese, near Milan, Italy, April 27, 2016. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
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Hackers Hit Italian Oil Company Eni’s Computer Networks

Eni's logo is seen in front of its headquarters in San Donato Milanese, near Milan, Italy, April 27, 2016. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini
Eni's logo is seen in front of its headquarters in San Donato Milanese, near Milan, Italy, April 27, 2016. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Italian oil company Eni's computer networks were hacked in recent days but the consequences appear to be minor so far, the company said on Wednesday.

"The internal protection systems have detected unauthorized access to the corporate network in recent days," a spokesperson for the company told Reuters in response to a query.

The state-controlled company is working with authorities to assess the consequences of the attack, the spokesperson added.

Bloomberg News first reported the news on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter who said Eni appeared to have been hit by a ransomware attack.



Three Iranians in UK Court Accused of Assisting Tehran Spy Service

A general view of London, Britain, March 23, 2022. (Reuters)
A general view of London, Britain, March 23, 2022. (Reuters)
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Three Iranians in UK Court Accused of Assisting Tehran Spy Service

A general view of London, Britain, March 23, 2022. (Reuters)
A general view of London, Britain, March 23, 2022. (Reuters)

Three Iranian men appeared in court in London on Friday accused of assisting Iran's foreign intelligence service and plotting violence against journalists working for a British-based broadcaster critical of Tehran.

The three men - Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, - have been charged with offences under Britain's National Security Act, brought in to give the authorities new powers to target threats from foreign states.

They are accused of "engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service" between August 2024 and February this year, and police have said that it related to Iran.

Sepahvand is also charged with carrying out surveillance in preparation to commit serious violence against a person, while Manesh and Noori were charged with surveillance with the intention that serious violent acts would be committed by others.

The men appeared by videolink on Friday for a brief hearing at London's Old Bailey court during which their lawyers said all intended to plead not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors told a hearing last month that the allegations involved the targeting of journalists based in Britain connected with Iran International, a broadcaster critical of the Iranian government. They were remanded in custody until a formal plea hearing on September 26 and they are due to go on trial in October next year.

The suspects were arrested last month on the same day counter-terrorism police detained five other men, including four Iranians, as part of a separate operation. Those men were later released without charge.