Sophisticated hackers intent on stealing trade secrets and disrupting operations have found a vulnerable target in oil and gas companies, according to an article from ABC News. Citing a Houston Chronicle investigation, the article notes that Homeland Security received reports of around 350 cybercrime incidents at energy companies between 2011 and 2015. Homeland Security reportedly discovered nearly 900 security flaws within U.S. energy companies, topping any other industry.
According to the article, the vast network of oil and gas networks and thousands of interconnected sensors and controls that make these facilities go are riddled with weak spots. A lack of personnel to detect hackers combined with older equipment that lacks security features and efforts to link computer networks to devices that monitor pressure or control valves all have opened energy operations to cyber threats.
Read the entire article here.
