How IoT is Addressing Security Threats in Oil and Gas
Tags: iotsecurity, industrialiot
Published: 2020-10-19 12:55:27

The oil & gas industry is going through improvingly developing security challenges as the rate of technological advancement is accelerated. The capability to transfer data without needing human interaction allows previously unusual amounts of data to be gathered and exchanged with other devices, or via a central platform.

Oil & gas organizations are now concentrating their IoT initiatives less on primary sensors, devices and “smart” things and more on developing strong approaches for analyzing data, leveraging IoT infrastructure and growing new business models. Among the industries that face tough cybersecurity challenges, one of the most leading is the Oil & Gas industry.

Oil & Gas Industry

Oil prices drop cause unreliability on the market for the companies. Not only that, but they’re facing also more severe environmental regulations which make potential accidents totally expensive and catastrophic.

This is the main reason why it’s so essential for oil and gas companies to analyze oil rigs and wells nearly. IoT is one of the best solutions to do it, but it comes with many vulnerabilities.

IoT Security Concerns

Many companies still are not investing the necessary in solid cybersecurity systems, in spite of it being completely critical for the industry’s survival. Some of the security concerns the Oil & Gas industry include the following:

Crucial Data Risks

Industrial IoT devices and IoT platforms require better security measures to secure sensitive data. Today, oil and gas companies monitor such sensitive data from various sources. These data sources may contain:

· Historical oil & gas consideration, delivery and pricing data
· Demographic data
· Social Media
· Traditional business data from operational systems
· Data from sensors during oil and gas production, transportation and refining

Security Vulnerabilities

· If not tackled, these vulnerabilities provide an opening to disturb connected devices.

DDOS and Malware Attacks

· There is a considerable increase in these attacks that can cause massive losses in the industry.

Oil & Gas Security Solutions

IoT devices assemble a substance of real-time, real-world data that can be critical to realizing goals around increasing operational efficiency, optimizing equipment operation as well as maintenance, safeguarding workers and addressing concurrence requirements. 

Connected cameras, geofencing perimeter protection solutions and other access control abilities can even have an important role in physical security protecting physical infrastructure.
Commercial off-the-shelf products are improvingly notice in oil and gas to execute tasks that were originally handled by purpose-built equipment for the operational environment. 

They come with more possible vulnerabilities and therefore significant security risk as compared to traditional process control systems.

Afar from protecting the physical security of oil fields, refineries and distribution channels, companies must assure that the data pipeline is safe upstream, midstream as well as downstream. Develop and apply constant security policies for each segment. And then evaluate the assessment usually — making updates to consider new equipment, new threats and other opportunities to manage business value.

Oil and gas companies need data to last private unless they particularly agree to share it. So securing approach to the data, any way of data management platforms, tools and data transmission methods utilized is essential. Data governance requires the meaning of data and its accuracy and quality will frequently need close coordination with and among numerous lines of business.

When it comes to IoT specifically, it’s crucial for the developers to notice that proper cybersecurity can drive the industry forward into a new, more secure age. With cyber-criminals producing such a big threat and with various approaches accessible to them.

Every IoT product or solution can and should be tested against the industry’s higher standards and put via a procedure that crucially minimizes security risks in every stage of the product’s life-cycle.

But as the industry continues to develop new services involving security as part of the platform, or strong partnerships with third-party security providers, will acquire stronger footing in the market.

IoT Course (https://www.hiotron.com/iot-training/) will help to build Industrial IoT Solutions (https://www.hiotron.com/).