Pipeline Infrastructure: How to Reduce Cyber Risk

Pipeline Infrastructure is known to take responsibility for transporting naturally occurring chemicals. They mainly aim to shift or transfer oils, natural gas, and other kinds of commodities.

The field of the oil industry is as vital as any other industry. 

People usually believe that this field of the oil industry has got no risks to endure. And that’s not at all true. Pipeline Infrastructure has got the same amount of risks as any other industry. It deals with its own problems. 

Owing to the fact that the owners and operators of pipeline infrastructure have started to rely on the amalgamation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT), the rate for cyber risks has reached a new level. This has to be protected in any way. 

In this article, you will find some ways to reduce the Cyber risk in pipeline infrastructure. Let’s dive in!

What is a Cyber Risk?

Cyber Risk is basically self-understood. Cyber risk is like any risk that can disrupt the reputation of an organization. Cyber risk is where a third party gets to have access to internal, confidential, and private information and the functioning of an organization. 

The organization must make use of the OT cybersecurity services. The best OT cybersecurity companies allow you to conduct all your OT security tasks in one place. In addition to that, they help in reducing the cyber risk by 85 percent. 

Cyber Risk can be differentiated into two major types. They are Internal Cyber risk and External Cyber risk. 

Internal Cyber Risk

Most of the cyber risks are not internal. These internal cyber risks are attempted by the wrong people employed in the same company. These are the mistakes committed by the employees. Their small mistakes like unpatched software, misconfigured servers are the cause for internal cyber risk.

An employee has to have a better idea about proper cyber hygiene in order to avoid such problems from arising.

External Cyber Risk

Unlike the internal cyber risk, the external cyber risk is a risk that is caused by the external world. These are mostly brought into existence by people outside the organization or people who are slightly aware of the organization. 

The most common cyber risks were cyberattacks, ransomware, etc. Cyber risks can happen from the competitors of the organization as well. You should definitely have to be more mindful of the risk that your company will have to face. 

Reduce Cyber Risk – Pipeline Infrastructure

Pipeline Infrastructure owners and operators must be mindful of their risks while working. There are some ways that they should follow in order to reduce cyber risk. Here are some of those ways in which one could follow and reduce any kinds of risks to their organization

• Constant Monitoring
• Have Control Over Potent Details
• Implement Best Configuration Practices
• Know the NERC CIP Standards
• Secure the Boundary

Constant Monitoring

This is one of the most important tasks that one has to follow. There has to be constant monitoring of the happenings within the organization. When you have set a standard and abnormal behavior accordingly, it becomes easier to detect the activity. 

Get rid of trivial ports and services. Constantly monitor the user behavior and, at the same time, monitor the traffic to differentiate the activity. 

Have Control Over Potent Details

You should decide on who has access to what. There has to be a boundary set for proper functioning. If many people have access to every minute detail of the organization, it will be easier for the person to manipulate it. 

So, one should have secured and segmented the network so as to stop any unauthorized entry. One should also secure it with CIP Compliance. CIP stands for Customer Identification Program. According to its policy, one has to make sure of the identity of the user who accesses the information. 

Implement Best Configuration Practices

You should implement the best configuration practices for changing the ICS or OT services and devices. You will have to verify every step and document any changes made in the configuration. Constantly check for changes and review the existing changes. 

You should also see to it that the system and devices used by the organization are up to date. If not, make sure that they are updated. In this way, one could reduce the cyber risk in pipeline infrastructure. 

Know the NERC CIP Standards

The requirements of North American Electric Reliability Corporation critical infrastructure protection (NERC CIP) are set in such a way to have secured assets that are required for operating North America’s electric system. 

It comprises forty-five requirements and nine standards. It’s best to know about these standards and requirements to secure the organization from any cyberattacks and cyber risks. According to NERC CIP standards, the organizations need to conduct a regular risk analysis of those assets. 

The NERC CIP compliance is compulsory. NERC can work along with some of the industry partners in order to create new standards, gain feedback and also revise their standards. 

Secure the Boundary

In order to access Industrial Control System (ICS) and Operational Technology (OT), make use of hardened and dedicated devices. Also, make sure to separate the corporate networks from Operational Technology and Industrial Control System. Do not give access to any trivial traffic. 

Deny access to unnecessary traffic. Make sure to have a secure and segmented network. 

These are all the different ways that could be applied by a pipeline organization so as to have a secured and safe business. Industries should follow these steps to avoid your organization from any cyber risk from occurring. 

Conclusion

Cyber risks are dangerous when the organization does not take steps to secure its pipeline infrastructure. I hope you have now understood the cyber risks and how they occur. The article has also spoken about reducing the cyber risks which you could utilize for your organization. 

It is better to have tried than to regret it later. 

So today, make sure that your organization has tight security over its data and constantly check for any risks from occurring. Keep your system updated. Utilize the ideas mentioned in this article to have a secured and safe business.