The National Interest...Virtual warfare against energy companies will not end anytime soon. Hackers are well aware that crippling oil operations offers significant leverage, strategically speaking, as acts of terror: a single successful act has the potential to hurt oil-consuming nations far beyond the Middle East. Small wonder that oil-industry assets around the world—oilfields, loading platforms, pump stations and so on—were long ago identified by Osama bin Laden as targets. Saudi Aramco’s CEO, Khalid al-Falih, reiterated after the August 15 attack that “this was not the first time nor will it be the last illegal attempt to intrude into our systems.” It is conceivable that a future one, if successful, could amount to the “cyber-Pearl Harbor” of which Secretary Panetta has long warned U.S. policy makers.
Defending the world’s major energy suppliers against debilitating cyber threats will not be easy, but it is essential. The risk cannot be eliminated...
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http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-new-face-energy-insecurity-7715