NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers has referred to the energy sector as the United States’ “Achilles heel.” In 2012, former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned of an advancing “cyber-Pearl Harbor.” A 2012 Mandiant survey revealed that the energy industry (including oil and gas) ranks second in industries most likely to suffer a cyberattack. In 2013, for the first time in the history of Ernst & Young’s survey of energy executives, cybersecurity made the top 10 list of industry concerns.
President Barack Obama issued an executive order this year instructing U.S. businesses to heighten their degree of vigilance to safeguard against cyberattacks. And for good reason: those in charge of managing critical control systems know their organizations are not ready for a sophisticated cyberattack. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy released cybersecurity guidelines for the oil and gas industry. Energy companies now suffer more breaches than banks.
