The energy sector is increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks and hacking because of the widespread adoption of internet-based control systems, a risk specialist has warned.
Energy firms are being disproportionately targeted by increasingly sophisticated hacker networks that are motivated by commercial and political gain, according to a Marsh Risk Management Research paper.
Andrew George, chairman of Marsh’s Global Energy Practice, said open industrial control systems (ICS), often used by industry to improve efficiency and streamline operations, provided hackers access to “back doors” to exploit weaknesses in the systems.