Cyber attack forces U.S. energy sector contractor ENGlobal to shut IT systems

ENGlobal Corporation, a leading provider of engineering and professional services to the U.S. energy industry, said it experienced a major cyber attack that forced it to take several systems offline.

 

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, ENGlobal Corporation provides engineering and professional services principally to the energy sector in and outside the United States. It designs and creates automated control systems that are used by companies and the federal government. The company reported approximately $6 million in revenue last quarter and $18.4 million for the first nine months of the year.

 

In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said that November 25, it identified a significant cyber security incident that affected its internal network. The company immediately launched an investigation, with assistance from external cyber security experts, to determine the nature and scope of the incident.

 

“The preliminary investigation has revealed that a threat actor illegally accessed the Company’s information technology system and encrypted some of its data files,” ENGlobal said.

 

“Upon detecting the unauthorised access, the Company immediately took steps to contain, assess and remediate the cybersecurity incident, including beginning an internal investigation, engaging external cybersecurity specialists, and restricting access to its IT system.”

 

The company added that as a result of these containment measures, access to the company’s IT system has been limited to essential business operations only.

 

“The timing of restoration of full access to the Company’s IT system remains unclear as of the date of this filing. The Company has not yet determined whether the cybersecurity incident is reasonably likely to materially impact the Company’s financial condition or results of operations,” the company added.

 

At the time of publishing, no known hacker group claimed responsibility for the ransomware attack on ENGlobal Corporation. The company also did not share details on who was behind the cyber attack, how much data was compromised, or whether it has received a ransom demand.