The oil and gas industry is one of the most powerful financial sectors in the world, critical to global and national economies. Above all, this industry is a valuable target for adversaries. Therefore for those who are seeking to exploit Industrial Control Systems (ICS) vulnerabilities. That is why defending the oil and gas industry should be of top priority.
As the recent increase in attacks against ICS demonstrates, adversaries with a specific interest in oil and gas companies remain active and are evolving their behaviors. Protection against cyber-attacks is essential to the worldwide economy. What particular challenges does the industry face and how can security teams prevent them?
The Industry’s Basic Structure
The industry has three segments: upstream, midstream, and downstream.
Upstream businesses are concerned with resource exploration and production. These companies explore the globe for reservoirs of raw materials and drill to extract them.
Firstly, midstream businesses are focusing on transportation. Secondly, they are responsible for transporting the extracted raw materials to refineries to process them. Further, these firms oversee the shipping, operating pipelines, and storing of raw materials. Downstream businesses refine the raw materials. They remove impurities and convert the raw materials to products for the public. Examples are gasoline, jet fuel, heating oil, and asphalt.
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Source: Security Intelligence
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