The energy, oil & gas industries has always been a high-value target for cyber criminals. From ransomware that can shut down critical operations to the theft of intellectual property and disruption of energy supply chains, the stakes could not be higher. A single breach doesn’t just risk millions in lost revenue; it threatens energy security, safety, and the reputation of the companies that power the global economy. Not only that the utter disruptions it can cause to customers can cause untold customer damage.
Recent incidents show how severe the problem is. The Colonial Pipeline attack in 2021 disrupted fuel supplies across the U.S., costing an estimated $4.4 million in ransom and far more in economic impact. And it wasn’t an isolated case—according to IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024, the average cost of a cyberattack in energy, oil & gas has now reached $4.35 million per incident, with recovery often taking months.
But here’s the reality: the challenge isn’t just the size of the threat. It’s that most energy, oil & gas firms don’t have the continuous visibility they need to monitor controls across complex IT, OT (Operational Technology), and third-party environments.
This is where Continuous Controls Monitoring (CCM) becomes transformative.
The Scale of the Problem
Let’s look at the numbers.
- Average cost of a cyberattack in energy, oil & gas: $4.35m (IBM, 2024).
- Frequency: ENISA estimates that energy, oil & gas firms now face ransomware attempts every 11 seconds globally, with sector-specific attacks rising by over 60% in the last three years.
- Downtime costs: According to IDC, every hour of downtime in energy, oil & gas can cost between $250,000–$500,000 depending on whether it impacts exploration, production, or distribution.
When you factor in detection, containment, regulatory fines, and operational disruption, the financial risk is enormous. Our own customer analysis shows that companies who adopted CCM were able to reduce manual testing effort by 70%, saving hundreds of hours of manpower during recovery and day-to-day monitoring.
Why The Energy, Oil & Gas Industry Can’t Afford to Wait
One of the biggest misconceptions in energy, oil & gas cyber security is that you need to be “mature” before adopting advanced technologies like CCM. Many firms think: we’ll focus on basics first, and invest in automation later.
The reality is the opposite. CCM accelerates maturity.
By connecting directly to your existing data sources—whether IT, OT, cloud, or vendor systems—CCM delivers immediate visibility into control gaps. You don’t need to overhaul your security strategy or build a huge cyber function. CCM shows you where you stand today, aligns your controls to any regulatory framework, and ensures you are audit-ready from day one.
It’s about continuous assurance, not compliance checklists.
Real Business Outcomes
Our customers in energy and critical infrastructure consistently report three key outcomes when adopting CCM:
- Faster Incident Response
With real-time alerts across IT and OT environments, teams reduce detection and containment times from months to days. In one case, an operator reduced incident investigation time by over 80% after deploying CCM. - Manpower Savings
Traditional control testing in energy, oil & gas often requires huge manual effort, with security and compliance teams running assessments quarterly or annually. With CCM, controls are continuously tested in the background. One customer reported a 70% reduction in effort, freeing teams to focus on higher-value analysis and resilience building. - Reduced Financial Risk
If the average attack costs $4.35m, and CCM reduces breach likelihood by just 30% (a conservative estimate), the financial ROI is immediate. Across a 10,000-employee organisation, that equates to millions in avoided losses every year.
The Road Ahead
Energy, oil & gas companies face a uniquely hostile cyber environment:
- Expanding attack surface: Connected rigs, pipelines, and smart sensors multiply entry points.
- Third-party risk: Suppliers and contractors often have weaker security, creating hidden vulnerabilities.
- Geopolitical risk: State-sponsored actors view energy disruption as a strategic weapon.
Relying on periodic audits or static assessments is no longer enough. Threats evolve daily, and your defences must do the same.
CCM ensures your organisation isn’t just reacting after an attack but actively reducing risk exposure every single day. Whether you are an upstream exploration company, a downstream refiner, or a distributor, CCM provides a unified lens across IT, OT, and cloud, bridging the divide between operations and security.
Conclusion
Energy, oil & gas do not need another compliance checkbox—it needs continuous resilience. The costs of inaction are already visible in multimillion-dollar losses, downtime, and reputational damage.
CCM offers the sector exactly what it needs:
- Always-on monitoring of every control.
- Seamless integration with existing tools and data.
- Reduced manpower burden.
- Proof of compliance and resilience on demand.
And crucially, you don’t need to be cyber mature to benefit. CCM helps you get there, faster.
In a world where one ransomware attack can shut down fuel pipelines or offshore rigs, energy, oil & gas organisations can’t afford to wait. Continuous Controls Monitoring isn’t just a security upgrade—it’s a business imperative.
Take a look at our CCM platform here.
