On Sunday, Suncor Energy confirmed it was grappling with a cybersecurity incident and had notified appropriate authorities.
If an attack lasts more than a day, is widespread across an organization and is disclosed to authorities, there’s “a good chance it’s going to be ransomware,” he said. The auditor’s report pointed to an incident in September 2012 when a Calgary-based company, which supplied remote monitoring and services to the energy sector, faced a “sophisticated cyberattack” on its computer systems.
The report pointed to the January 2022 incidents affecting subsidiaries of the German oil transportation firm Marquard & Bahls, as well as an unrelated ransomware incident last year at the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp refining hub, which temporarily disrupted the delivery of oil products in parts of Europe.
“It’s the nature of the world in which we live that our IT systems are interconnected. And if you bring them down, they have a considerable impact.”/He noted there have been increased cyber incidents by Russia directed at Ukraine, and the centre is concerned those activities might “spill over into Canada,” while adding ransomware attacks are becoming more sophisticated and remain a persistent threat to businesses.