MOSCOW (MRC) -- Cybercrimes cost energy and utilities companies an average of USD12.8 M each year in lost business and damaged equipment, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
Platform operators need confidence that countermeasures can deal with bigger and more sophisticated cyber attacks. DNV GL is now collaborating with Shell, Statoil, Lundin, Siemens, Honeywell, ABB, Emerson and Kongsberg Maritime to develop best practice in addressing this threat.
Cyber security is a growing issue in the oil and gas sector since critical network segments in production sites, which used to be kept isolated, are now connected to networks. The trend is towards remote operations, remote maintenance and tighter inter-operability with centralized process data and plant information. Old and outdated installations are at particular risk and require risk mitigation actions.
"We see that cyber-security incidents are increasing with attempted attacks on a daily basis. By collaborating with others in the industry, we can ensure that we end up with one globally applicable regulation that is suitable for the oil and gas sector," says Rune Warstad, Control & Automation Engineer, Shell.
To address these challenges, DNV GL has established a joint industry project (JIP) together with Shell, Statoil, Lundin, Siemens, Honeywell, ABB, Emerson and Kongsberg Maritime. In addition, the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority will take part as an observer. The JIP will produce a guideline for protecting oil and gas installations against cyber-security threats. The IEC 62443 standard will be used, but will be tailored to the oil and gas industry. The standard defines what to do, while the guideline will describe how.