About the author: Sandra Toms is the vice president and curator of the RSA Conference
The oil and gas sector is a major provider to the Middle East economy, not just through earning power, but also with job development and infrastructure build. The huge wealth and state-ownership of these businesses, have always made them an attractive target for cyber-criminals, but in recent years the number of large scale attacks facing the oil and gas community has escalated.
The threat to these firms stem from different sources. In the Middle East, cyber espionage from competitors is fast becoming a top concern. A well-known example is when in 2012, the “Shamoon” virus struck one of the largest oil and gas firms in the Middle East, disrupting day to day operations and sending shockwaves through the industry.
The self-replicating virus infected as many as 30,000 of its Windows-based machines and took almost two-weeks to clean from the network. This large scale attack served as a stern reminder that such intrusions can occur and attacks are possible. Cyber-criminals only need to be successful once to cause damage throughout an entire company.
In addition, the digital evolution of the sector is opening doors to increasing cyber threats, as systems, networks and data become connected. The increasing reliance on IT is a double-edged sword as failures and outages have an immediate and lasting impact. In July 2014, the Energetic Bear virus was released by a Russian hacking group and targeted oil and gas companies. Prior to its discovery by a cyber-security firm, the virus enabled the hackers to monitor energy consumption in real time and disable physical systems.
So while it may seem as if oil and gas companies have few options available to protect themselves, this could not be further from the truth. When it comes to defence against cybercrime, adapting and evolving is key.
When we talk about evolving, complacency is one of the biggest threats facing this industry. It’s often the simplest solutions that are over looked. For example, ensuring that sensitive data is kept track of at all times and that there is someone in place to carry out the necessary compliancy checks.
Internal education and rolling out best practices is also an effective way to ensure production lines, networks and employees are safe. Like any sector, the oil and gas community needs to enhance current systems that are already in place and instill security training amongst every member of staff.
Cyber prevention is not just the role of the IT manager and facing a threat without adequate knowledge in place, is one of the most common mistakes made by organizations today.
Companies should also focus on the possibility of a threat brewing internally. This can range from a disgruntled employee to one that has made a careless mistake causing a lapse in security.
For instance, someone that has been looked over for a promotion may harbour ill intentions towards the company he works for, and have reason to see it fail. Or in the other case an employee that brings in a USB device and uses it on a company server, not knowing that it is infected with a virus. Both are scenarios that can occur at any time and certain measures must be in place in order to combat them. Be it offering services that allow workers to voice their frustration and seek help when upset, or screening all devices that are brought into the office.
Organisations can also learn from sabotage campaigns carried out by groups like Dragonfly. A band of well-organised hackers that managed to wreak havoc on major energy and petroleum providers across the U.S and Europe. Their attacks are widespread and have one common goal in mind, namely cyber espionage. Many of the businesses being targeted today have valuable information that’s crucial to them being able to operate.
Such sensitive information falling into the wrong hands would certainly spell disaster. In order to avoid becoming a victim, investment in advanced cybersecurity technologies is a must. The one thing criminals are looking for is a critical flaw in a system, exposed by either lack of resources or poor security protocols.
So as the cyber-threat landscape continues to evolve at an increasing pace, oil and gas companies today, need to relook at their current security posture and evaluate ways of how they can protect and defend against attacks. Securing critical systems and sensitive data are key priorities in the battle against cybercriminals.
By 2018, an ABI Research study predicts that cyber-attacks against oil and gas infrastructure will drive $1.87 billion in cybersecurity spending by the oil and gas sector. By being at the forefront of new technology advancements, oil and gas companies can address the entire spectrum of threats that ultimately lead to increased efficiencies and deliver critical capabilities that support the overall business.
A well-guarded corporation is an attainable achievement and it’s in the best interest of any company to realise this sooner, rather than later.
The RSA Conference, one of the leading infosec conferences, is set to come to Abu Dhabi for the first time in November.
The event will be held at Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi, 4-5th November, and will feature nine keynote speakers from across security disciplines, who will discuss a range of topics and the future state of the information security industry.
