Offshore oil and gas rigs are at significant risk of cyberattacks, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
The network of 1,600 offshore oil and gas rigs supplies a significant amount of U.S. domestic energy.
“A cyberattack on these facilities could cause physical, environmental and economic harm. And disruptions to oil and gas production and transmission could affect supplies and markets,” the report reads.
The report found significant security weaknesses in the operational technology (OT) used by rigs to monitor and control machinery that could let cybercriminals control them remotely.
The report focuses on old OT equipment used on many rigs, pointing out that a lack of software updates leaves them unprepared to deal with cyberattacks.