US Oil Firm Hacked

US OILFIELD FIRM HACKED

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US OILFIELD FIRM HACKED

Critical infrastructure remains a sweet spot for the hackers, more so of the ransomware genre for the impact it makes & and money it generates. Energy remains the top concern for all nations and a spoke in its production, distribution and availability as a mass scale has the possibility of debilitating impact on the nation. It is for this reason the energy sector remains on the radar of the hackers. Can we stop it? Can we bring down the impact? Is it possible to minimize the damage and time of recovery without paying ransom?

How much can intelligence and investigative agencies do as first responders? Can they match the expertise and passion of the hackers? While most of the questions do not have any clear cut answers, what is for sure is that the hacking spree is likely to continue unabated. In this background the cyber attack on a top US oilfield firm Halliburton is a matter of great concern. Based in Houston, it is one of the largest specialized oilfield services firms in the world. It provides drilling services and equipment to major energy producers around the globe, operating out of 70 countries.

Halliburton has confirmed that it is aware of the issue affecting its systems. It has been working to determine the cause and the impact of the problem. The company confirmed that it has been working with the leading external experts to fix the issue. The hack impacted the company’s north Houston campus and also global connectivity networks. Some staff have been advised not to connect to internal networks. What is intriguing is that even till now one is unclear about the happenings at Halliburton. If it were to be a ransomware attack, the hackers would have encrypted the data.

What happens after the ransomware attack encrypting the data we are all aware of, there is no information on that side from any quarter as of now. Energy sector has been on the forefront of facing such attacks. In 2021, Colonial Pipelines was struck by a ransomware attack. It led to days-long shutdown to the major fuel supply line. No one wants a repeat of that situation. Even worse can happen and it was scary to say the least. “The breach, which the FBI attributed to a gang called DarkSide, led to a spike in gasoline prices, panic buying and localized fuel shortages.”

IF ONLY WE IMPROVE OUR CYBERSECURITY STANCE IN A COMPREHENSIVE MANNER, THINGS MIGHT TURN FOR THE BETTER AFTER A REASONABLE PERIOD OF TIME.
Sanjay Sahay

Have a nice evening.

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