Yet weaknesses remain.The shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline exposes gaps in companies’ cyber-armour.It also reveals the idea that shale oil might guarantee energy security to be a fallacy.Oil may be fungible but oil infrastructure is not, notes Michael Tran of RBC Capital Markets.America’s north-east is particularly exposed to attack, Mr Tran says.A dearth of local refineries makes the region dependent on pipelines and tankers for oil products.The federal government’s cyber-defences are imperfect, too.The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the agency charged with criticising other agencies, has found cyber-security a particularly rich subject.The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is supposed to help safeguard oil and gas pipelines;in 2019 the GAO identified “factors that limit the usefulness of TSA’s risk assessment”.In March the GAO reported that the Department of Energy’s plans for cyber protection “do not fully address risks to the grid’s distribution systems”, leaving big cities vulnerable.Worryingly, cyber-attacks may increase in number and ambition.Hackers are using ransomware to infiltrate larger companies and seek higher payments.Their average ransom payment has roughly doubled over the past year, according to Coveware, a tracking firm.
