Industry: Cyberattack on pipeline data provider not indicative of safety risks

U.S. natural gas pipeline operations are not as vulnerable to cyberattacks as the recently breached online transaction system used by Energy Transfer Partners LP, industry experts said, although they emphasized the need to stay ahead of hackers on all fronts. The April 2 cyberattack disrupted electr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSNL Energy FERC Gas Report
Main Authors Smith, Sarah, Sullivan, Sean
Format Newsletter
LanguageEnglish
Published Charlottesville SNL Financial LC 11.04.2018
Subjects
Cybercrime
Cybersecurity
Data encryption
Energy
Energy transfer
Natural gas
Natural gas utilities
Pipelines
United States > US
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Summary:U.S. natural gas pipeline operations are not as vulnerable to cyberattacks as the recently breached online transaction system used by Energy Transfer Partners LP, industry experts said, although they emphasized the need to stay ahead of hackers on all fronts. The April 2 cyberattack disrupted electronic data services provided by a third-party vendor for several of the Energy Transfer pipeline systems, but a spokesperson for the company said there were no impacts to operations because it took over scheduling. Bloomberg reported that three other companies' electronic systems for communicating with customers were shut in recent days related to a cyberattack, including Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP, Chesapeake Utilities Corp.'s Eastern Shore Natural Gas Co. and ONEOK Inc. The recent attack "illustrates the fact that our pipeline as well as electrical system is subject to daily attack, and while we have been very effective in defending to date, the attacks are relentless and continue," Joseph Dancy, an energy-focused law professor at the University of Oklahoma, said April 3.