NGI: Ex-Homeland Security Chief Says Energy Industry Under Increasing Threat of Cyber Attack
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told an oil and gas industry audience in Pittsburgh last week that digital security should be a top priority at their companies, adding that current policies are outdated and the threat of cyber attacks grows by the day.
Ridge, a Republican who also served as Pennsylvania's 43rd governor, said natural disasters, terrorists and foreign countries are among the leading threats to the intricate industrial control systems used by exploration and production companies, midstream operators and suppliers.
He said with oil and gas development at the forefront of the country's economic recovery, and with billions more devices and users expected to come online in the year's ahead, the industry should be taking extra caution to protect proprietary information and its link to national security.