Oil and gas companies remain a prime target for bad actors, with more than 50% of them suffering a data breach within the past 30 days.

According to an analysis by Cybernews, cybersecurity is a major issue for the oil and gas industry. While more than 50% suffered breaches in the past 30 days, a whopping 94% of the top 400 companies have had at least one data breach.

To make matters worse, only 10% of companies in the industry received an A cybersecurity score, while 69% received a D or an F grade, putting them in the high-risk category. Breaking it down even further, 35% scored an F, with another 34% scoring a D.

Interestingly, Asia-based companies scored the worst, with an average score of 65. North American and European companies were not much better, coming in at an average score of 74.

Companies were guilty of a range of cybersecurity issues, including reused passwords, poor email security, insecure server configurations, SSL/TLS configuration errors, stolen corporate credentials, and domains that

“When a company suffers a data breach, customers, partners, and investors may lose confidence in the company’s ability to protect sensitive information. Breaches often involve ransomware or systems being taken offline, which can halt critical operations like drilling, refining, or logistics. Even a short disruption in the oil and gas industry can cost millions and affect global supply chains,” says Vincentas Baubonis, Head of Security Research at Cybernews, in a statement to WPN.

Cyberattacks targeting infrastructure and supply chains have been a growing concern. Former FBI director Christopher Wray warned about the problem in mid-2024, especially efforts by the People’s Republic of China.

“The PRC [People’s Republic of China] has made it clear that it considers every sector that makes our society run as fair game in its bid to dominate on the world stage, and that its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic and break America’s will to resist,” he said at the Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats in Nashville.

In view of the damage and disruption a successful attack on an oil or gas company can cause, it is more than a little disconcerting that the industry’s cybersecurity readiness is so woefully lacking.