Oil and gas sector routinely targeted by cyber attackers, experts say

Cybersecurity specialists say they are not stunned by the revelation contained inside a bundle of leaked U.S. intelligence paperwork suggesting Russian-backed hackers efficiently gained entry to Canada’s pure gasoline distribution community.

They say oil and gasoline infrastructure in Canada and world wide is routinely focused by cyber-criminals for monetary achieve in addition to by state-sponsored hackers seeking to create mayhem.

Lesley Carhart of business cybersecurity firm Dragos Inc. says the oil and gasoline trade is a lovely goal for these looking for to have interaction in cyber espionage and sabotage.

But she says the probability of hackers efficiently disrupting power provide or inflicting harm to folks or property by means of an oil and gas-related cyberattack could be very slim.

Carhart says even when an attacker beneficial properties entry to an oil and gasoline firm’s pc servers, it might take years of surveillance for them to study sufficient in regards to the firm’s processes and inside security backups to really trigger an incident.

U.S. intelligence paperwork not too long ago leaked on-line do not identify a particular power firm, however describe claims by Russian-backed hackers that they efficiently gained entry to a Canadian pure gasoline distributor’s pc community.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed April 10, 2023.