North Sea security fears

Industry: Premier Oil expert raises concerns about Russian cyber attacks

An oil and gas boss has expressed concern that any action against Russia could lead to retaliation against operators in the North Sea.

Speaking at an industry conference yesterday Vince McCaughey, who is responsible for Premier Oil’s cyber security worldwide, asked the UK government about its intentions.

He noted recent reports that the MoD is planning to expand its cyber-offensive capabilities in the coming years in response to the present Russia crisis and its spy network.

Mr McCaughey, a former cyber warfare expert with the Royal Navy, said: “We’ve seen things like Theresa May saying ‘we’re actively going to pursue Russia on cybercrime’.

“It strikes me that that’s wonderful but the people who get it in the neck when Russia strike back are the people in this room.

“If you start stirring the Russians, all that’s going to happen is that their very capable abilities are going to strike at companies like Premier Oil who are possibly not in the best place to defend themselves.”

“The people who get it in the neck when Russia strikes back are in this room”

Clare Dobson, head of cyber-security at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, was a keynote speaker at the event. She said: “Everything we do is measured and considers business impacts and a variety of other impacts before any action is taken.”

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Clare Dobson defended the government’s stance on cyber-security