Aramco says 'no impact' from data breach

DUBAI: Saudi Aramco acknowledged that data had been leaked through one of its contractors, but stopped short of naming the contractor, said a report by the Associated Press.

The files were being used in a cyber-extortion attempt involving a $50 million ransom demand.

In a statement to AP, Aramco said that it 'recently became aware of the indirect release of a limited amount of company data which was held by third-party contractors.'

'We confirm that the release of data was not due to a breach of our systems, has no impact on our operations and the company continues to maintain a robust cybersecurity posture,' Aramco said.

A page accessed by the AP on the darknet claimed the extortionist held 1 terabyte worth of Aramco data.

Sabic, ExxonMobil JV announce major milestone

RIYADH: Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, a ExxonMobil and Sabic joint venture, in the US state of Texas, has reached mechanical completion of a monoethylene glycol unit and two polyethylene units.

Project startup is expected to begin ahead of schedule, likely in the Q4 2021, a Sabic statement said.

The project created more than 6,000 jobs, generated $22 billion in economic output for Texas, and is estimated to create $50 billion in economic benefits during the first six years of operation. The project, which includes a 1.8 million metric tonne ethane steam cracker, is expected to be delivered under budget and approximately 25 per cent less than the average cost of similar projects along the US Gulf Coast. When completed, GCGV will produce 1,100 kilotons of monoethylene glycol and 1,300 kilotons of polyethylene per year.