JUBA—The Nile Petroleum Corporation (Nilepet), a state-owned national oil and gas company, has dismissed as false and misleading reports circulating online alleging that its computer systems were compromised in a cyberattack and that the company was being held to ransom.
Reports surfaced on social media on July 23 alleging that the ransomware group Krybit had targeted South Sudan’s state-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation (NILEPET).
The group claimed responsibility for the cyberattack and threatened to leak sensitive data stolen from the corporation unless an undisclosed ransom is paid.
Eng. Muthran Alduma, Director of ICT at the state-owned oil company, dismissed the reports as false, misleading, and based entirely on unverified rumours.
“NILEPET wishes to clarify that the information circulating on social media alleging that the Corporation’s Headquarters ICT systems have been compromised is false, misleading, and based on unverified rumours,” Alduma said in a statement seen by Sudans Post on Wednesday.
Eng. Alduma confirmed that the ICT infrastructure is secure, fully operational, and under continuous monitoring.
“There has been no breach or compromise of any of our systems, and all services are running without interruption.”
He urged the public, media outlets, and stakeholders to disregard what he called ‘unfounded rumours’ and rely solely on NILEPET’s official communication channels for accurate, timely, and verified information.
“The Corporation confirms that NILEPET Headquarters’ ICT systems are operating normally, and all ICT services remain fully functional. There has been no disruption to the corporation’s operations as a result of the claims circulating online.”
The Nile Petroleum Corporation (NILEPET) is South Sudan’s national oil company.
It was established in 2009 under the Government of South Sudan, before the country gained independence in 2011, to represent the state’s interests in the petroleum sector.
Following South Sudan’s independence on July 9, 2011, NILEPET assumed a central role in managing the country’s oil resources, working alongside international oil companies involved in oil exploration, production, transportation, refining, and marketing.
