Recent discussions with industry teams have highlighted how quickly the digital “threat landscape” is evolving across global energy systems, from oil and gas to chemicals, specialty gases, power generation and transmission and distribution networks, says Marco Ayala, ABS Consulting CTO, Global Energy.
The petrochemical sector must manage cyber risks amid supply chain vulnerabilities and cyber vulnerabilities.
Facing volatile energy prices, compressed margins, supply chain disruptions and evolving regulatory requirements, the petrochemical sector demands practical solutions to help operators manage these interconnected risks.
As digital transformation continues to redefine operations, protecting industrial control systems from cyber threats remains a top priority.
Here’s how to start planning for long-term risk reduction and resilience in 2026:
Start buffering to stay ahead of cyber risks
With more and more IT systems and operational technologies (OT) converging across industrial operations, the entire energy value chain is at risk. Systems have become even more complex, and complexity creates vulnerabilities on both the technical and human sides.
There is already a form of “normalization of deviance” that increases risk in industrial environments without an objective third-party assessment of emerging technologies – and the industry often does not act until an incident occurs.
In 2026 and beyond, cyber vulnerability is an invisible threat and one that some analysts estimate to be a trillion-dollar threat to availability. Yet many businesses still think this is an IT problem, not an operational one.
Petrochemical operators not only need comprehensive process risk analyzes of IT systems, procedures and software, but also, increasingly, more robust industrial cybersecurity programs to effectively manage and reduce risks in tightly regulated operations. The industry is taking a standards-based approach to securing industrial automation and control systems against cyber threats, such as the International Society for Automation and International Electrotechnical Commission (ISA/IEC) 62443 series of standards.
Before an incident occurs, operational preparedness and availability are essential. Expect to see companies begin to protect their suppliers through strategic purchasing to anticipate future unforeseen outages.
Continue operational prudence
Over the past four decades of equipment and systems digitalization, traditional industries have introduced a multitude of emerging technologies that are not always fully controlled or properly evaluated outside of the due diligence of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or supplier. Without thorough peer review, this creates bias from the start and prevents organizations from knowing what a tolerable risk state is for their business.
Organizations must exercise operational prudence with a clear mind, having full visibility into the risks related to their control systems, in order to safeguard the crown jewels of an operation.
An industry must first understand its own systems – its strengths and weaknesses – if it is to know its enemy (the bad actors). Operational prudence is about being proactive, situationally aware, and planning for what comes next instead of giving in to reactive firefighting in the plant.
The parallels with the current state of cybersecurity are striking. Facilities need more visibility, more awareness, and more control over their OT cyber risks.
Investing in cyber risk management is the crucial step organizations can take in 2026 to avoid costly downtime due to a ransomware attack or, even worse, a spoofing or jamming event that would not only derail their mission, but could also result in major economic and environmental consequences.
Close the loop with end-to-end resilience
True resilience can only be achieved when it is built from start to finish. For cybersecurity, this starts at the field sensor level, extending through operational technology (OT) networks and ship/platform control systems and reaching all the way to edge, cloud and enterprise environments.
Faced with such high stakes, an integrated cybersecurity and defense-in-depth strategy is no longer optional; it’s mission critical.
Energy and chemical companies working to build the cyber resilience of their complex, interconnected assets are embarking on a journey that is not an easy fix. They will often need a 3-5 year roadmap to get there, with tailored advisory, assessment and verification services that cover the entire energy value chain and meet specific criteria for their industrial operations and infrastructure.
Take the next step with an objective assessment
Regardless of your current cyber posture or maturity level, every organization stands to benefit from additional training and collaboration between the private and public sectors as we collectively reduce cyber risks across the nation’s most critical assets and infrastructure.
Cyber risk management is essential to securing industrial infrastructure and operations in 2026 and beyond. The petrochemical industry must prioritize proactive risk management, cross-sector collaboration and integrated cyber resilience to protect the industrial process facilities that power modern life.