When the Fields Go Dark
In oil and gas, operational data is as important as pressure readings, production rates, and
safety metrics. Systems like SCADA, Historian, DCS, and seismic databases silently keep
rigs, pipelines, and processing plants running safely and efficiently.
But what happens when all that data suddenly becomes unavailable?
A Real Scenario from Libya
Recently, a Libyan oil company experienced a major ransomware incident.
Within hours, SCADA dashboards froze, Historian logs disappeared, and field operations slowed to a complete stop. Pumps stalled, automated controls shut down, and teams were
left without visibility or access.
Recovery attempts failed. Operations remained offline for days.
In the end, the company was forced to negotiate with attackers to regain access to critical systems.
The financial and operational consequences went far beyond any ransom. Production losses increased, output deadlines slipped, and trust with partners and clients was
damaged.
The Hidden Threat: Evolving Ransomware
Modern ransomware threats are increasingly automated and powered by artificial intelligence.
They can infiltrate a network quietly, stay dormant for months, and activate at the worst possible moment.
When they strike, critical operations stop. A single well offline for even one day can mean major financial loss – what the industry calls “red money.”
This is why relying only on perimeter security is no longer enough.
It Is No Longer “If,” but “When”
Cyber attackers need to find just one weak point. Your IT and OT teams must defend every
point, every time.
Alwadi Communications helps shift the strategy from simply defending to ensuring
operational readiness, even when an attack succeeds.
Beyond Cyber Risks: The Physical World Matters Too
Libya’s Derna floods proved that natural disasters could devastate critical infrastructure in minutes. Now imagine all your servers and backups stored in a single location.
What happens if a flood, fire, or earthquake hits that site? The result is complete data loss and a full operational shutdown. No region is fully protected from natural disasters today.
Resilience requires more than cybersecurity. It requires smart architecture.
The Solution: A Resilient, Multi-Layered Data Protection Strategy
Alwadi Communications, together with global technology partners, provides an end-to-end resilience framework designed for oil and gas operations.
1. Immutability: Your Last Line of Defense
Immutable backups cannot be modified, encrypted, or deleted, even if attackers gain domain admin access. This ensures your recovery data always remains safe.
2. Replication: A Live, Always-Updated Copy
Continuous replication creates a real-time secondary environment, either on another site or in a secure data center. If the primary site fails, operations can be recovered immediately from the replica.
3. Failover: Recovery in Minutes, Not Days
Automated failover brings systems such as SCADA, Historian, and field monitoring back online within minutes. No manual intervention, no complex switching, and no scrambling during a crisis.
4. The 3-2-1-1-0 Strategy
A proven global model for data protection:
• Three copies of data
• Two different storage media
• One off-site copy
• One air-gapped or immutable copy
• Zero backup errors through automated verification
This framework ensures continuity even if one layer fails.
Continuous Operations, Even Under Pressure
With the right resilience strategy in place, field teams can restore critical systems instantly, maintain production continuity, and keep safety operations active — whether facing
ransomware, hardware failure, or natural disasters.
In the energy sector, every minute carries operational and financial impact.
Investing in resilience before an incident occurs is far more effective than recovering after one.
Alwadi: Your Partner in Operational Continuity
Alwadi helps oil and gas companies build a resilient, multi-layered protection strategy that keeps operations safe, data protected, and downtime out of the equation.
Because when production, safety, and reputation are on the line, continuity is not optional — it is essential.
