A cyber attack on a shared data network forced four of the nation’s natural-gas pipeline operators to temporarily shut down computer communications with their customers over the last week, The New York Times reports.
No gas service was interrupted, the companies say. The interruption of customer transactions was merely a precaution, and it’s unclear whether any customer data was stolen.
The attack, however, highlights the potential vulnerability of the nation’s energy system, cyber experts say. Beyond consumer and business data—energy companies possess much proprietary information about their holdings, trading strategies and exploration and production technologies—the increasing dependence of pipeline infrastructure on digital systems makes them a particularly ripe target.
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