Federal Watchdog Warns Offshore Oil, Gas at Risk of Cyber Attack

Offshore US oil and natural gas installations are “at significant risk” of cyber attack, according to a federal watchdog that warned of a potential disaster on par with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout.

The Government Accountability Office foundthat offshore exploration equipment, including those critical to safety, are increasingly reliant on remote technology that’s vulnerable to cyber attack. Efforts by the Interior Department arm charged with overseeing drilling safety have not “resulted in substantial action,” the GAO said in its report.

“This creates significant liability, given that a successful cyber attack on such infrastructure could have potentially catastrophic effects,” according ...