Cyber ​​security in the Kuwaiti oil sector … an advanced system to protect the economy of the economy

Kuwait, June 18 / WAM / with fixed steps and forward -looking visions. The Kuwaiti oil sector companies have succeeded in establishing a sophisticated system of cybersecurity concerned with protecting the vital artery of the national economy from risks and enhancing the reliability of their systems in addition to raising their readiness to face future cyber challenges.
Cyber ​​reinforcements in oil sector companies are based on several axes, starting with the continuous update of security systems to ensure their compatibility with the latest international standards through periodic penetration tests and accurate evaluation of potential risks to the use of artificial intelligence techniques for early detection of threats.
The investment in modern technologies, as well as the continuous training of employees on the latest practices of cyber security, represents two strategic arms in providing pre -emptive safety for the oil sector against advanced threats.
The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries embrace the sections and specialized centers for cybersecurity operations concerned with strengthening safety policies periodically, in order to ensure the compatibility of the regulations with the latest security standards and defense software.
An elite group of experts and stakeholders in the oil companies sector, which was met by the Kuwaiti News Agency “KUNA”, unanimously agreed on the pivotal role of the continuous development of cybersecurity in the face of increasing threats, including security breakthroughs, malware and social engineering attacks.
In this context, the head of the cybersecurity operations project at the National Petroleum Company, Ali Al -Qallaf, presented an integrated vision on the importance of cybersecurity for the oil sector, indicating that it stems from several aspects, foremost of which is the great dependence on digital systems in managing production, refining and distribution operations, which makes the protection of these systems from cyber risks is very important to ensure the continuity of work and maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information.
Al -Qallaf summarized the vital components of cybersecurity at the National Petroleum Company in five main components that include infrastructure, operational software, security systems, data and users in addition to digital services.
He stated that the infrastructure includes servers, networks and systems that manage data and production and refining operations and that operational systems software is industrial control systems that manage operations in refineries and fuel filling stations, indicating that security systems are concerned with protecting networks from attacks.
He said that the cyberspace of the company includes data such as operating records and the secrets of commercial companies; Where it is one of the assets of the company that requires good protection in addition to users and they are the company’s employees who interact with these systems in different departments and also contains digital services such as the Internet and internal networks that link the company’s various facilities.
He added that the National Petroleum Company faces many cyber threats, most notably electronic attacks such as piracy and infiltration into the systems in order to steal data or disrupt the processes and malware that may target industrial control systems in refineries in addition to viruses that can affect internal computers.
Al -Qallaf reviewed the cyber risk management strategies to confront these threats, indicating that the company relies on the continuous analysis of the risks to understand the potential impact and periodic evaluation of security tools using penetration tests and gap evaluation to ensure systems protection.
He explained that the management of cyber risk is carried out through a department specialized in the management of institutional risks in cooperation with the Information Technology Department that works to identify and evaluate the potential risks that may affect operational systems.
And that the company adopts a package of procedures and solutions to enhance its cybersecurity, including the periodic update of security systems in line with the latest international standards and the application of encryption solutions and multiple factors in addition to using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence to analyze data and early detection of threats and attacks.
He stressed that the company has completed many leading projects in the field of cybersecurity, which was crowned by the inauguration of the first unified center for unique cybersecurity operations at the level of the State of Kuwait and the Middle East region to monitor operational technical systems and information technology systems and early detection of attacks and deal with them quickly and effectively.
Al -Qallaf pointed to the continuous training of employees on the latest cybersecurity practices as one of the basic strategies adopted by the company to reduce human risks as well as the continuous cybersecurity development through the growing investment in modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide proactive safety against advanced threats.
He stressed the need to move forward in this path at the level of all companies in the sector, especially after the launch of the Kuwaiti Petroleum Corporation strategy 2040 for digital transformation, which will raise the number of devices connected to the Internet of Things in operational operations.
He pointed to the many risks that artificial intelligence carries on cybersecurity in any sector, including the oil sector, as it provides extensive opportunities to improve electronic attacks and make them more advanced.
He stated that the company faces these risks by relying on artificial intelligence technologies such as the use of early detection systems to analyze network behavior and discover unusual patterns that may indicate an attack, in addition to enhancing employees’ awareness of the latest methods of attacks such as electronic hunting directed using artificial intelligence.
He stressed that securing the digital systems on which production and refining operations depend is one of the company’s priorities to ensure the stability of the oil and gas sector in Kuwait, protect the commercial reputation of the company, and prevent any threat that may lead to leaking sensitive data, disrupting production or damaging the environment.
Al -Qallaf noted that the oil sector faces multiple cyber challenges, especially those related to old systems that lack the support of the latest technology of safety in addition to the technical complications resulting from the integration of operational systems and information technology systems, which constitute an additional challenge, which requires comprehensive protection for all digital industrial networks to ensure the security of the vital sector.
For his part, the head of the cybersecurity team at the Kuwait Oil Company, Mohamed Al -Safi, stressed the importance of understanding the effects and actions that result from the elements of the threat in the cyberspace, whose numbers have increased in recent years, which may lead to leakage, erasure of data or disruption of systems.
He stated that knowing the nature of these threats and evaluating the possibility of their occurrence and their impact in the work environment would help institutions develop appropriate and effective defense strategies to address them.
He stressed that the oil sector is the primary tributary of the national economy and that strengthening cybersecurity has a utmost priority, especially as it depends heavily on control and automated control systems. “Therefore, it must be constantly verifying the safety of operations and protecting sensitive data to maintain the continuity of business and economic stability.”
Al -Safy highlighted the challenges facing the oil sector in the field of cybersecurity, pointing to the wide range of the sector’s operations and the integration of his interconnected and intertwined systems in addition to the increasing use of the capabilities of artificial intelligence in launching cyber attacks, “which calls for a continuous security vigilance.”
He expected that the future of cybersecurity in the Kuwaiti oil sector would turn towards more integration using security controls and modern technologies and enhance cooperation between oil companies and government agencies to create a safer environment with a focus on facing renewable and increasing threats.
In a view of the multi -faceted approach to enhancing cybersecurity in the oil sector, the first cyber security officer at the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (Kovak) Abdullah Al -Khatib stressed the importance of the integral role between companies and government agencies in order to exchange information and experiences about the threats and updated attacks.
He stated that the package of solutions and strategies supporting the structure of cybersecurity in the sector includes strengthening security governance by setting tight policies and modernizing regulations by replacing old software in addition to improving infrastructure, training human cadres and optimal employment of artificial intelligence.
Al -Khatib expected the increasing investments in cybersecurity during the next stage to enhance the sector’s ability to face advanced threats, with a focus on artificial intelligence techniques and machine learning for early detection and enhancing the security of the Internet of Things in oil installations in addition to developing integrated cyber defense systems that include the analysis of huge data and advanced encryption.
It is also likely to have a development in international legislation and policies related to controlling cybersecurity in the oil sector, indicating that it will remain a major goal of electronic attacks, which makes cybersecurity an integral part of the requirements of its sustainability and protecting it from risks.
He stressed that the management of cyber risks requires an integrated process that includes identifying risks in order to identify potential security gaps and then analyze them by assessing their impact and the possibility of their occurrence in addition to developing protection strategies such as implementing the walls of protection, encryption, continuous monitoring and finally responding to accidents through plans to respond and recover in the event of a breakthrough.
The Kuwaiti government attaches the utmost importance in the oil sector as a strategic element to protect assets in the oil and gas sector, by achieving close integration between advanced technology and advanced security strategies and continuous training of employees.
The State of Kuwait has worked during the last period to expand its strategic partnerships in the areas of cybersecurity, along with the efforts made by the country’s specialized authorities to bring about radical transformations in securing the national cyberspace.

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