Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector

[M170-03] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:00:32 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Well, first of all, I would like to thank the hosts and the organizer for …it's quite impressive to see a gathering like this. But look around, there are also the young Saudi ladies and Saudi gentleman's that are running the whole show,

[M170-04] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:01:01 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

For an elderly like me, it is totally disheartening to be within this group and I see the many faces some of them are I'm familiar with.

[M170-05] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:01:13 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I have to make a confession, just to make sure that I handle your expectations of me. I am the most IT illiterate person in Saudi Arabia.

[M170-06] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:01:28 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I do that with a great deal of commotion. I have back there some of my colleagues that I work with, actually I work with in this endeavours, which relates to cyber threats and cybersecurity and they gave me a quite a lecture of two hours yesterday, last night actually with a view that you should really try not to embarrass us and not to embarrass the sector. So I'm hoping that I can deliver to their expectation, Otherwise, you can see them back there. They're promising me that I'll be reprimanded.

[M170-07] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:02:09 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Comes to think about the sector. I want to make sure that people understand and I'm not trying to create more ambiguity and more nuance of seriousness beyond what we really must measure up to when it comes to how to protect ourself from cyber-attacks.

[M170-08] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:02:35 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

It just so happened that the energy sector is probably profoundly the most seriously impacted and could be impacted and I have no qualms in my mind that there will be more and more attempts to impact it.

[M170-09] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:02:55 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

The concern we have in the sector is that it could be multifaceted. It could be for so many different reasons. It could be geopolitical. It could be for ransom. It could be even ideological.

[M170-10] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:03:12 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

People would like to make their viewpoints on energy for example or choice of energy and they could use these attacks as a mean to get their viewpoints being resonate around the world. You don't know you're dealing with ghosts and you are also dealing with softwares that changes.

[M170-11] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:03:41 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I was trying to find something to make it similar to see if I can use, maybe the idea of virus, you know the viruses evolves, So as these softwares evolves the difference between viruses is that virus evolves genetically with its own making and the other side, no, it's human that develop it and scale it and so you're also dealing with something that changes and you have to make sure that you have the, I would call it pre-emptive and pre preventive capabilities and attentiveness to ensure that as these things evolve, you are there pre-emptively challenging them and making sure that you have the system that you could shut down, could relate to the threat and the other scarier part is an energy system like Saudi Arabia which encompasses oil, gas, refining, chemicals, power sector, distribution, transmission, pipelines and vendors,

[M170-12] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:05:06 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

because they come can come through vendors too. So, you whatever you need to do is to upgrade the whole system and the whole ecosystem to make sure that you're ready, you're prepared, and you have the right people equipped to mitigate and pre-empt any attacks that may come your way. There is another twist to it if I may, just to make sure that people can scale up to the concern that we have is that you are fundamentally, also if not the main, you are the main, you are the biggest exporter of oil, you are also exporter of so many things. We want to become an exporter of electricity, we have a future, a big future in that regard, we will have a big future when it comes to hydrogen export. So, we cannot afford being exposed today or tomorrow to attacks like this without being very well equipped to attend.

[M170-13] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:06:13 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Is currently Saudi Arabia ready for any cyber-attack from whatever is coming?

[M170-14] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:06:21 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I am a very modest person. I cannot proclaim victory before getting victory. But you know what is important is that we should not be in a race with each other competing on which country has the right capabilities to defend for its own selves. I think this forum makes more the point that cyber-attack is a collective danger, that has to be attended to collectively, and there will has to be a codification to how the world governments participants those who are interested industries, every industry should collaborate in bringing an end to this challenge

[M170-15] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:07:21 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

because without which, without sharing knowledge, without sharing capabilities and without congregating to the principle that whatever it is, we have to collectively fight cyber-attacks and those who use it for their own purposes regardless about the purpose.

[M170-16] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:07:45 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I think we're not doing the right thing. I think we just have to make it like a cause for all of us. The world congregated in fighting COVID, the world need to congregate to fight cyber-attacks.

[M170-18] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:08:16 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

It is both. I take great deal of honour to say that Saudi Arabia was ranked number two, I'm trying to remember the institution, but it is number two when it comes to its measures taken globally, number two in its measures taken to attend to this thing. Does this make us sit and relax in joy and bask and you know on this glowing recognition?

[M170-19] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:08:47 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

No. Because we could lose sight, and we could lose momentum and we could be challenged you know even by the fact that you became number two in the ranking. You could actually be challenged by saying okay will you show them how can we put them down?

[M170-20] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:09:07 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I think we have a big stake as part of our energy security endeavour is to assure our clients that whatever happens you know we've been exposed to two different experiences and they both almost led to a challenging situation back in 2012 Aramco was attacked, luckily we had two systems and contingencies that saved the day.

[M170-22] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:09:37 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Yes, it was a cyber-attack, In September 14th, we were attacked by rockets and drones and they made the same impact.

[M170-23] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:09:47 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

So, people need not to forget that cyber-attack is a weapon, cyber-attack is using weapons that does not need army, it doesn't need drones, it doesn't need rockets. But the impact of it is humongous.

[M170-24] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:10:08 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I'll give you another example. last year colonial pipeline in the US, it was the main artery of oil products that goes from the southeast part of the US all the way to the northwest of the US.

[M170-25] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:10:28 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Three million barrels that gone for probably the best part if my memory help me or best part of two weeks. the amount of disruption that was created as a result of that and the amount of embezzlement that took place and by the way, I want to caution people that it's not all embezzlement because some -maybe I'm I have a conspiratorial mind but maybe people try to wrap it as being embezzling or

[M170-27] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:11:07 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Well, they could wrap it and camouflage it as being, you know, ransom seeking things like that that but at the end of the day, they do the disrupt. They like to be clever about it and say, well, it's the bunch of, you know, hooligans that do these things and what have you. You never know how it has been politically charged.

[M170-29] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:11:30 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Or politically motivated and some actually they don't, it would not be like more or less like a state sponsored terrorism but actually it could be ideologically, and ideologically in any type of spectrum both the left and right they have probably a message to make.

[M170-30] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:11:52 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I would argue that there is an attack on a painting just few days splashing it with a paint of orange just to make a point about climate change for example, but that's not similar to that but I mean it could be

[M170-32] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:12:11 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

it could be egotism too, it could be an egotism driven you know a young group of people want to deliver that sense of achievement.

[M170-34] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:12:23 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

By saying we have the technological technical competence and capability to disrupt X, Y and Z.

[M170-36] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:13:26 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Well, I'll leave it for the expert, but you know, viruses do come unannounced and that's the problem. You don't know how these viruses would come and so as cyber-attack, they don't come.

[M170-38] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:13:45 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

The enemy is, as I said, it could be anything. It could be, as you said, the young kid that wants to enhance his ego and it could be a state sponsored endeavour. What I'm trying to make sure of is that next year we will have a very exciting year and I hope that we don't get into something of a cyber-attack that may be disruptive.

[M170-39] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:14:15 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

That's why we work with our NCA with the ecosystem within the country just to make sure that we give it our best shot of preparedness. I guess the best and first line of defence is you have to work a lot on your preventive measures and you have to look at contingency of switching off your systems, work on different secondary approaches, but they are all preventive and pre-emptive as much as possible.

[M170-41] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:15:05 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

lately? Very fast because I don't want to, I cannot diverge how we operate that's for sure. But I'll give you a heads up. We have 24/7 people, 24/7 people not in the energy ministry, no, 24/7 people in every unit that is linked to the system. You know, just the last few days we had one utility, one electricity company actually one electricity generating company and they had had a bit of a mishap.

[M170-42] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:15:43 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

To us that utility if it doesn't quickly upgrade and improve it might be disruptive to the whole system, because it buy gas, because it interact with the ministry, because it talks to the principal buyer. You know once you have that weakest if you could call it weak link could be a mean to penetrate.

[M170-43] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:16:09 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Our concern is even much more amplified because we're dealing with thousands as a sector, we're dealing with thousands and thousands of vendors and it could be a penetration point too.

[M170-44] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:16:26 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Whoever wants to disrupt the energy sector worldwide would probably have an eye on Saudi Arabia as a very important country in that realm. It took us through the what has been done already and the future plans to safeguard energy security at the global level.

[M170-45] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:16:51 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Saudi Arabia we're doing our best. I believe that you know we need to be humbled also by the fact that it's been an endeavour of the last four or five years but I believe that there is you know permeating culture that we all need to work with each other and congregate on the best possible practices that can be that can be available and made available. And this is the other thing you know

[M170-46] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:17:23 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

that's why you know again, this forum and more of this forum should happen because knowledge sharing should happen and it should be regulated and again I think there is an ethical conduct issue that needs to be attended to. There should be an international agreement where people can congregate around and it makes it even mandatory for all countries to put whatever needed to mitigate this, like terrorism.

[M170-47] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:17:55 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

People need to meet the challenge of cyber-attack like how people try to meet terrorism attacks; it can never happen by a country. It cannot happen by diversity of experiences. I would have to argue that also in terrorism in this place we as Saudi Arabia put together a global effort in fighting and combating terrorism. So, it is always good to be a Saudi when we are promoting things that can be put people together fighting and combating a challenge of common nature to all of us.

[M170-48] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:18:43 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Unless if some would like to prefer to have that supremacy for which then they want to condescend by saying behave otherwise we would not share with you this knowledge and what have you. And then you get into a you border that if I could call it the moral area of, are you there to protect the globe? Are you calling yourself an international citizen as a country or you want to cocoon yourself and do not share your knowledge with others where they can also can be better equipped to cocoon themselves.

[M170-49] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:19:26 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

You will find out that in the final analysis people would need to re approach this thing with a global holistic approach goes from the small unit all the way to the bigger.

[M170-51] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:20:01 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

it's all of the above, I think it's government, it's an international organization, it's governments, it's the private, the industry people need to share their experiences people need to work hard in developing technologies especially at least in the first stages of things that you have this preventive measures which makes you reduce the potential impact, allow you to recover and work on contingencies.

[M170-52] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:20:34 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

What saved us so far is contingencies, because we disrupt and we activate contingencies, but the world cannot withstand two, three weeks or four weeks from no export of Saudi Arabia, the world, the US economy could not have withstand two more weeks of no more movement of products, gasoline, diesel and what have you in the US for the best part of what could be the biggest, it is the biggest artillery when it comes to movement of oil products in the US and so on and so on and so on and I'm sure the experiences will get worse and worse as we come.

[M170-54] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:21:38 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

These days, my market is low. I'm not liked at all because I'm too cautious, but what counts is that cautiousness pays off in the final, in the end, and you know I hate to see people they take things for granted.

[M170-55] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:21:56 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

In life there is nothing called taking things for granted. You sleep the night before wanting to do this and that and this and that, you wake up and you wake up with different realities that you never even thought of, so as a state of mind I'm always cautious and I'm always humbled by the amount of creativeness be it positive creativeness or negative creativeness that is managing the world.

[M170-56] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:22:33 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

It's totally disheartening that you see these people who are engaged in these activities instead of using their talent, capabilities, competence into something worthwhile to bring benefit to the world. It's been actually unfortunately their capability are harnessed to bring to be a wrongdoer, a bad doers to the world.

[M170-58] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:23:14 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

you're telling me

[M170-60] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:23:33 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

See, this is the problem. I'm so worried that if I say a challenging, I think I say we shall solemnly swear that we will be the, you know, the faithful supplier of the energy, people would, you know, whatever I would say now would trigger them to say okay we will challenge you. So I'll stay the humble person and I would not ask them to challenge us.

[M170-61] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:24:03 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

I would ask them to go somewhere else. Of course, not in the region.

[M170-63] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:24:50 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Look at the back here. These are our army. I have to say I made women cause for me. Look at how many women here as our true army.

[M170-65] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:25:19 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

most of the team that works on cyber-attack is a unity in the ministry. Come and I'll invite you to come over and see them.

[M170-66] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:25:31 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

They are Saudi women.

[M170-67] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:25:32 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

They're Saudi, good chunk of them are Saudi women and they're putting their hours and time. You see, I'm trying to be humble because I don't want to challenge those people because otherwise I would have said, you know, I would have said, but I am so worried to have said keep them coming. We will be ready for them.

[M170-68] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:25:57 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

And look at them. They are preserved. They are veiled. They're wearing hijabs. They're wearing all of the above. These things brains cannot be contained by what you wear, but how you get your education, how you get your training, and how you stand up for your rights.

[M170-70] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:26:28 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

God save the world from these attacks.

[M170-72] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:26:38 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

Thank you.

[M170-74] · سمو وزير الطاقة (HRH the Minister of Energy) · التوقيت 00:26:40 · Global Cybersecurity Forum 2022-Securing supply chains in the energy sector · 2022-11-09 · مشاهدة عند هذا التوقيت

My pleasure.