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As Digital Transformation Accelerates And Industrial Connectivity Advances, The Oil And Gas Sector Faces Growing Risks, Demanding An Integrated And Resilient Cybersecurity Approach In Operational Technology Environments
In the face of rapid industrial digitalization, cyber threats have consistently evolved, especially throughout 2024 and 2025, pressuring oil and gas companies to strengthen the protection of mission-critical assets. In this context, Claroty, a global leader in cybersecurity for cyber-physical systems, warns of the immediate need to strengthen the security of Operational Technology (OT) environments across the value chain. Thus, the continuous protection of these assets becomes crucial for secure, resilient, and uninterrupted operations.
At the same time, the sector faces simultaneous global challenges. Fuel shortages, price volatility, and sustainability pressures, especially intensified after 2023, have driven digital transformation. Consequently, the adoption of IoT, IIoT, robotic systems, and cloud connectivity has increased operational efficiency. However, at the same time, the attack surface has expanded, exposing critical infrastructures to ransomware, operational disruptions, and systemic failures.
According to the report “The Global State Of CPS Security 2025: Navigating Risk In An Uncertain Economic Landscape”, released by Claroty in 2025, an independent survey interviewed 1,100 security professionals in information security, OT engineering, clinical and biomedical engineering, as well as facility and industrial operations managers. In Brazil, 64% of respondents stated that their cyber-physical systems security programs are aligned with current standards. Still, 80% recognize that new governmental, international, and sectoral regulations, expected in the coming years, will require strategic overhauls, with a direct impact on operational efficiency.
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In this scenario, Italo Calvano, Vice President of Claroty for Latin America, highlights that technological advancement in oil and gas requires cybersecurity that goes beyond traditional IT models. Therefore, to achieve cyber and operational resilience, Calvano points out four essential strategic pillars for OT environments.
Complete Visibility Of Cyber-Physical Assets (CPS)
First and foremost, real-time inventories of OT, IoT, IIoT, and BMS assets are indispensable. This makes it possible to identify vulnerabilities, assess risks, and respond quickly to incidents. Without visibility, there is no effective protection, especially in critical infrastructures.
Integration Between IT And OT Tools
Moreover, legacy OT environments, common in the sector, were not designed for traditional IT solutions. Thus, technologies that can be integrated into existing tech stacks allow for extending governance, workflows, and security controls from the IT universe to OT, reducing operational gaps.
Extension Of IT Security Controls To OT
Next, security needs to be unified. This includes exposure management, network segmentation, continuous threat detection, and secure remote access based on Zero Trust. In this way, the convergence of IT and OT consistently strengthens the security posture.
Focus On Resilience And Regulatory Compliance
Finally, a resilience-oriented approach optimizes inventory, exposure management, threat response, and change management. Additionally, it accelerates compliance with global standards, such as IEC 62443, NIST CSF, and CISA CPGs, increasingly required since 2024 for secure and legally compliant operations.
In summary, the growing digital complexity in the oil and gas sector, especially observed in recent years, demands technologies capable of anticipating risks and ensuring operational continuity. Thus, by combining deep visibility, intelligent exposure management, and integrated security controls, companies can transform cybersecurity into a competitive advantage, maintaining stable operations ready to face current and future threats.
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