DNV: Energy Executives Anticipate More Cyberattacks, Yet Defense Efforts Lag

While many energy professionals believe cyberattacks could cause harm in the next two years, investments in security aren’t necessarily being made.

Concerns about the security around operational technology (OT) have escalated, particularly since the 2021 ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline. Even so, one of the challenges is what appears to be a “wait and see” approach to OT cybersecurity, according to DNV’s “The Cyber Priority: The state of cyber security in the energy sector” report published on May 19.

Chief among the actions energy companies need to take are allocating sufficient funds to cybersecurity and training as well as knowing what the OT vulnerabilities are, said Trond Solberg, managing director, cybersecurity at DNV.