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DOF systems, leading to a shutdown or physical disruption, which can
result in economic loss, injury or loss of human life, and environmental
impact.

2.4.4 Addressing Cybersecurity Challenges
The O&G industry is engaging in multiple tactics to defend against and deter
these challenges. For example, automated testing of SCADA protocols uses
well-designed tests that can simulate real-world conditions and allows IT
professionals to view the limitations and vulnerabilities of devices in the
SCADA system and network. From a policy approach, the industry needs
to adopt and implement risk assessment methodologies that encompass all
systems, interdependencies, and all aspects of cybersecurity. Each company
or organization should adopt a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy and
framework that is adapted to the operational priorities of the business. More
importantly, the O&G industry needs to build industry-wide standards for
cybersecurity for digital oil fields, smart fields, and intelligent fields, through
cooperation and sharing best practices used in their respective companies. Of
course, the industry needs to implement a continuous monitoring of all
aspects of vulnerabilities, actors, activities, threats, and leverage emerging
technologies like Big Data and artificial intelligence to mitigate risks associ-
ated with cybersecurity.

2.4.5 The Future on Cybersecurity
As more instrumentation, local control, and advanced SCADA features are
installed in O&G assets of all types, DOF systems must become more
advanced and natively include cybersecurity capabilities. As technology
advances, prices fall, making it easier to include security at all necessary loca-
tions and levels in a DOF system.
It appears the IoT trends will be to place more local control and optimi-
zation capability at the well site. Further, the SCADA data is moving to
cloud storage. Several companies already offer cloud-based SCADA. This
allows SCADA to scale easily both in terms of more field assets and also
in terms of more real-time control and optimization. It also becomes more
affordable to maintain because IT groups can then “bundle” support of
SCADA with the necessary security with all other enterprise systems.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
With contributions from Doug Johnson and Satyam Priyadarshy.