Cybersecurity

Federal regulators last week determined that electric utilities could recover cybersecurity investments when designing rate structures, but disregarded calls to extend the favor to natural gas pipelines.  The FERC ruling stems from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s (IIJA) direction for federal agencies to secure energy infrastructure against all physical and cyber threats (No. RM22-19-000). …

Cybersecurity risks to offshore oil and natural gas facilities such as those from state actors and cyber criminals are on the rise. In a new report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the federal government has identified the oil and gas sector as a target of malicious state actors. Exploration and production (E&P) operations…

The U.S. government reiterated warnings this week that Russia could be preparing cyberattacks in response to economic sanctions for its war in Ukraine, raising yet another alarm for the American oil and natural gas industry and other critical infrastructure operators. The announcement perpetuates what’s been an ongoing threat for the oil and gas sector since…

Natural gas pipeline operators must enhance their cybersecurity protocols to avoid breaches like the one that shut down the Colonial Pipeline refined products conduit in May, a panel of experts agreed Wednesday.  Electronic bulletin boards (EBB) are especially vulnerable to hacks, said the panelists participating virtually in the LDC Gas Forums Midcontinent conference in Chicago.…

Leaders from the energy, technology and financial sectors vowed to help harden the United States against cyberattacks following a summit with President Biden, who called the threat of digital crime a “core national security challenge” that demands increased vigilance from both government and private companies. “The reality is most of our critical infrastructure is owned…

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on Tuesday handed down another set of directives aimed at protecting critical pipelines that transport hazardous liquids and natural gas against cyber attacks. The second security directive, issued two months after the initial orders were put out, requires owners and operators of TSA-designated critical pipelines to implement specific mitigation measures…

The chief executive of the pipeline operator that was temporarily crippled by a ransomware attack last month apologized to Americans. During testimony before a Senate panel on Tuesday, he acknowledged that Colonial Pipeline was susceptible to hackers and that it is still grappling with challenges caused by the infiltration. “We are deeply sorry for the…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday issued cybersecurity requirements for natural gas and oil pipeline owners and operators in response to the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline Co. earlier this month. The directive requires critical pipeline owners and operators to report confirmed and potential cybersecurity incidents to the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure…

A manufacturing trade group is calling on Congress to empower FERC to strengthen physical and cyber security requirements for natural gas pipelines, similar to standards applied to the electric grid. Pointing to the Colonial Pipeline attack as a “wake-up call” for lawmakers, the Industrial Energy Consumers of America (IECA) wrote in letters to the Senate…