The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) immediately develop and implement a strategy to address offshore oil and gas infrastructure risks.
A cyberattack on the network of more than 1,600 facilities that produce much of U.S. domestic oil and gas "could cause physical, environmental, and economic harm," according to the report. "And disruptions to oil and gas production and transmission could affect supplies and markets."
The GAO identified risks, vulnerabilities, and threats, including:
According to the report: "GAO interviewed officials from agencies with offshore and cybersecurity responsibilities. It also obtained the perspectives of nonfederal stakeholders representing the offshore oil and gas industry."
As a specific vulnerability example, an earlier SecureWorld News article reported on a separate and previous study identifying vulnerabilities in the oil and gas industry, specifically to flow computers that regulate and calculate volume and flow rates of substances such as natural gas, crude oils, and other hydrocarbon fluids.