WGC 2018: Energy sector accused of sleepwalking on cybersecurity
Security experts say industry is leaving the door open for hackers targeting mission-critical infrastructure
Energy firms are overlooking serious cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure due to cost-cutting measures and lax standards, according to industry experts. Speaking at World Gas Conference 2018, David Blanco, SCADA security director at software firm Autosol, said cybersecurity compliance is so poor that he expected it could take "an event where lives are lost for any regulation to be introduced" and adopted, to spur the industry into action. While not caused directly by a cyber attack, he pointed to the deadly San Bruno pipeline explosion of 2010 as an example of such an event. "Safety regulations are followed like a religion, but cybersecurity standards are voluntary and just aren'
Also in this section
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
2 December 2025
The interplay between OPEC+, China and the US will define oil markets throughout 2026
1 December 2025
The North African producer’s first bidding round in almost two decades is an important milestone but the recent extension suggests a degree of trepidation






