WGC 2018: Energy sector accused of sleepwalking on cybersecurity

Security experts say industry is leaving the door open for hackers targeting mission-critical infrastructure

Energy firms are overlooking serious cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure due to cost-cutting measures and lax standards, according to industry experts. Speaking at World Gas Conference 2018, David Blanco, SCADA security director at software firm Autosol, said cybersecurity compliance is so poor that he expected it could take "an event where lives are lost for any regulation to be introduced" and adopted, to spur the industry into action. While not caused directly by a cyber attack, he pointed to the deadly San Bruno pipeline explosion of 2010 as an example of such an event. "Safety regulations are followed like a religion, but cybersecurity standards are voluntary and just aren'