Hackers could damage global oil supply

Attacks by cyber criminals could have a devastating effect on the global oil industry, it has been claimed.

Speaking at the World Petroleum Congress, IT manager at Shell Ludolf Luehmann, warned that hackers are repeatedly targeting the oil industry, carrying out corporate espionage and threatening to disrupt the global supply of oil.

He explained that hackers infiltrating systems could potentially control the opening and closing of valves, as well as the release valves.

"It will cost lives and it will cost production, it will cost money, cause fires and cause loss of containment, environmental damage - huge, huge damage," Mr Luehmann told the congress in Doha.

"We see an increasing number of attacks on our IT systems and information and there are various motivations behind it - criminal and commercial."

Ross Brewer, vice president and managing director for international markets, cyber threat specialist LogRhythm, echoed the comments and stressed that the threat from cyber criminals was very real.

Posted by Joseph Hutton