Cyber protection and security operations will be among the topics to be covered at the upcoming SPE Symposium: Cyber Security and Business Resilience for the Oil and Gas Industry in Dubai, UAE.

Organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers the event will be held at the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach Residence from March 29–31.

“The complex nature of cyber-attacks and those specifically targeted against the oil and gas industry have been increasing over the years, this symposium will bring cyber security experts to share experiences and evaluate readiness for the current and future cyber security threats”, said Mohammad A Muhareb, symposium chairperson, general supervisor of Petroleum Engineering Data Management Division, Saudi Aramco.        

Jamal Al-Enezi, symposium co-chairman and team leader Information Security, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) said: "Targeted cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure have been rapidly increasing. As a result, it is crucial for oil and gas professionals to keep up with evolving technologies and how to best protect the industry from these threats; the SPE Symposium will provide the venue to share knowledge with industry leading expertise.”

On the second day of the symposium, Osama Alsulaiman, director for Key Industries, Oracle Saudi Arabia, will deliver a keynote speech on Cyber Protection and Security Operations.

The technical programme includes six highly focused sessions with more than 20 presentations.

Oil and gas companies are now increasingly aware of the disruptive threats posed to their business from cyber-attacks, both to their business sensitive information, and perhaps of greater concern, to their operating control infrastructure. As technology has evolved over the past decade, the oil and gas industry has seen an increased risk around the security of their industrial control systems. – TradeArabia News Service