"This decision is influenced by the occurrence of a cybersecurity incident in the computer systems for the marketing of fuels, the origin of which has been identified as a virus from abroad," Granadillo said in the final minutes of the midday newscast on state-run TV.
Cuba in late December announced a series of measures, including hikes in fuel and public transport prices, to narrow a yawning deficit. Critics have described the measures inflationary, ill-timed and lacking incentives for domestic production.
Granadillo reiterated the government's rationale, calling the price hikes a "necessity" to help reverse a festering economic crisis.
Fuel will remain at current prices, he noted. "There will not be a stoppage in the services we provide for the sale of fuel to our population."
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Richard Chang)
