"Espionage caused discomfort to Petrobras"
The president of the state-owned company said that there is still no proof that company information was accessed by US espionage, but admitted that the possibility of classified information having been accessed causes "at the very least discomfort, because we don't know if it leaked and what leaked"; Graça Foster advocates caution in handling the diplomatic crisis; "To believe that we were invaded, we have to have the record or evidence of invasion, and a sample of what was captured. For now, we don't have that."
Pedro Peduzzi
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia - The president of Petrobras, Graça Foster, said today (18) that there is, so far, no record or evidence that company information was accessed by US espionage, but admitted that the possibility of confidential information having been accessed causes "at least discomfort, because we don't know if it leaked and what leaked". The executive is participating in a public hearing in the Senate to discuss the topic.
Graça Foster expressed confidence in the security of the data sent to the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) because it is not transmitted over the internet. "The data is passed on to the ANP through a closed system within the centers. We transfer data, not interpretations or evaluated processes. We don't discuss information. The transmission is physical, via CDs and DVDs, in person," she said.
Furthermore, as he explained, the database containing the company's "explicit knowledge" is stored in the Integrated Data Processing Center, protected with encryption and various security barriers, such as biometric access, a security system, weighing of citizens upon entry and exit, and camera monitoring.
"To believe we were hacked, we need to have a record or evidence of the intrusion, and a sample of what was captured. For now, we don't have that," said Graça Foster during the public hearing. "But having our name shown [amidst the espionage allegations] raises concerns about what might have been leaked. We saw our name there, which caused us, at the very least, great discomfort, because we don't know if anything was leaked and what was leaked."
According to the president of the state-owned company, company directors reported that there were no abnormal records in the company's system "in 2012 and 2013". In terms of information security, she added, "we understand that we have the best that Petrobras could have," she said. She added that the facts "lead us to discuss what more needs to be done."
"By the end of 2013, we will have invested R$ 3,9 billion in information security. For the period 2013-2017, R$ 21,2 billion will be invested. This shows the absolute importance of substantial investments in information security. Furthermore, we have 243 PhDs and Masters in information technology and telecommunications," argued the director.
According to Graça Foster, it is common for the system to report incidents. "Cyberattacks usually occur on the internet with various objectives, ranging from entertainment to criminal actions, motivated by financial, ideological, political, competitive or commercial reasons." The director said that, between August 9 and September 9, 2013, the state-owned company received 195,9 million emails. Of these, 179,4 million were blocked after detection of spam, malware, viruses or content blocking.
Among the company's strategies to prevent confidential information from being accessed is also "encouraging employee loyalty." "But loyalty, like technology, isn't 100%. [Because] we can't guarantee that we'll keep all [employees] at Petrobras. Besides, we're talking about human beings."
The public hearing brings together senators from the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on Espionage and the technical committees on Economic Affairs (CAE) and Foreign Relations and National Defense (CRE).
Edited by: Davi Oliveira