This spring, I attended the Annual Energy Directors Conference at Rice University, Houston, Tx.
Cyber Security in the energy industry was addressed by experts in this field including two FBI agents.
The information that was provided was alarming. Several countries are involved in cyber-attacks targeting US companies.
The hackers are attempting to find out information about corporate finances, gain intellectual-property, access control systems of oil and gas pipelines and electric power generation.
Though the energy industry appears to be a major target, it is by far not the only target. All corporations are at risk.
The US is busy countering cyber-attack effects. According to authorities, the US is staying ahead. The main thing taken from the conference is for everyone to be alert and pro-active.
For example, according to Jeffrey M. Cunningham, “On Datong Road in Pudong, Shanghai, a nondescript 12-story high-rise built in 2007 is home to an unusual tenant, Military Unit 61398 of the People’s Liberation Army. A thousand Chinese workers make their living there, armed with advance Internet technology skills and high levels of English proficiency. A quick flyover would suggest that the office building housing Unit 61398 is a typical software development outpost. But the main business here is hacking computer networks in the US, and the only software developed is malware (malicious software used to disrupt computer’s operation, etc.). How do we know this? The US hacked into the Chinese facility.”
June 1, 2013 was National Day of Civic Hacking Day across many US cities including Tulsa, OK. The purpose was to address the issues and solutions US cyber security and hacking.
The US is so dependent on computers that we must be aggressive to address the issues of cyber security. Therefore, companies and individuals need to be pro-active. For further reading, I suggest the following books, Cyber War by Rickard A. Clarke and America the Vulnerable: Inside the New Threat Matrix of Digital Espionage, Crime and Warfare by Joel Brenner.
America’s Natural Energy Resources will help lead us to economic prosperity and energy security. Go to www.peoplesenergyplan.com to learn more, and to join the effort of striving toward “creating together the people’s energy plan”. Please let me know what you think!