DarkMatter, an international cyber security firm headquartered in the UAE, announces its major participation at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) for the first time.

The event is taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) November 7-10, 2016 where close to 100,000 visitors from across the region are expected to assemble to discuss the strategic and technological developments occurring in the energy sector. DarkMatter views the exhibition as an opportunity to bring to bear its vast cyber security experience across sectors, including the energy sector, and to connect with regional oil and gas companies.

Energy companies are widely exposed to cyber attack not least because of the sheer complexity of their infrastructure and their intersection with third-party suppliers and contractors over whom they may have little control. Energy is a strategic target for malicious actors, as power interruptions, even if minor, can cause a cascade of secondary consequences that may cause longer term damage. DarkMatter will be looking to showcase the importance of adopting a holistic approach to cyber security in order to better protect this critical national infrastructure from the effects of cyber attack.

DarkMatter will also showcase its thought leadership through a number of speaking engagements at the Security In Energy conference, which is taking place alongside ADIPEC. Stephen Brennan, DarkMatter’s Senior Vice President of Cyber Network Defence will speak on the reinvention of cyber security in a hyper connected Internet of Things environment; while Eric Eifert, Senior Vice President of Managed Security Services, will participate on a panel discussing the impact of hyper connectivity on the protection of critical infrastructure.

Commenting on DarkMatter’s participation at ADIPEC, Faisal Al Bannai, Chief Executive Officer said, “The energy sector is such a strategically important one that the requirement for its protection from a whole range of threat actors is fundamental. Increasingly, industrial control systems are linked to the wider Internet and while this has increased efficiency, enabled the collection and analysis of performance data and allowed remote maintenance, it now provides a conduit for malicious interference.”

Faisal Al Bannai continued, “The Middle East is rapidly recognising its level of vulnerability to cyber attack and working to improve its overall posture. Energy firms in particular underpin the GCC economy and as more systems become interconnected with the Internet, they can be targeted by a host of threat actors to include cyber criminals. Our participation at ADIPEC 2016 is aimed at raising awareness around these cyber security threats and what energy companies can do to manage and mitigate the risk.”

Independent research confirms how attacks on industrial control systems such as those overseeing public and private sector infrastructure such as the electrical grid and transportation systems, are on the rise. And this trend will likely continue, according to the Industrial Cybersecurity Threat Briefing report published by Booz Allen Hamilton earlier this year. The research found that new targets are likely to emerge or expand with respect to industrial control systems and the barrier to entry for threat actors is lowering.

Several sectors were particularly hard hit in 2015, according to the report, including energy and transportation.

ADIPEC is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and has become a new meeting point for the global energy industry. The event draws ever increasing numbers of exhibiting companies, international country pavilions, visitors and conference speakers from around the world.