Comprehensive cybersecurity approach protects the heart of the rig

SEBASTIAN MANGE, KRUTI PATEL, ALF FREDVIK and JESSICA STUMP, NOV 

Offshore rigs are no longer isolated mechanical islands. Today’s drilling environments have become tightly connected digital ecosystems, with sensors, control systems, and automation platforms linking offshore assets to onshore operations centers. The industry’s digital transformation has not only delivered remarkable gains in safety, efficiency and visibility but also created a new operational reality: cybersecurity is now as essential to rig integrity as regular equipment maintenance. 

Fig. 1. Today’s rig infrastructure integrates operational technology and information technology. Safeguarding this layered digital environment requires robust cybersecurity to support system integrity, operational continuity, and remote capabilities.

As drilling operations become more automated and data-driven, the connection between information technology (IT)—enterprise systems, public networks, and data management—and operational technology—the hardware and software controlling physical equipment and processes—continues to increase. While this digital convergence enables faster decision-making, remote operations, and predictive maintenance, it also creates opportunities for threat actors to take control of critical infrastructure.  

The heart of the rig is more connected, and more exposed, than ever before. As a layered digital environment that integrated IT systems, operational networks, vendor access points, and connections to public networks, modern rig infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats, Fig. 1. These vulnerabilities often originate from everyday access points: unused USB ports, third-party connections, or outdated legacy systems that remain essential to operations. 

Intentional or unintentional attacks can compromise industrial automation and control system (IACS) environments and put operations at risk, Fig. 2. Recent cyberattacks have disrupted production, disabled safety systems, and exposed vulnerabilities once considered remote. As a result, protecting the rig’s digital infrastructure against malicious attacks, unauthorized access, and other cyber risks is essential to maintaining operational continuity and safety. 

Fig. 2. Cyberattacks on industrial control systems can lead to critical operational failures, financial loss, and reputational damage.

OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES 

One of the most persistent issues is reliance on unsecure legacy hardware and software. Many rigs operate with equipment built decades ago, running outdated operating systems that can no longer receive vendor patches. Legacy hardware often lacks modern authentication, encryption, or network segmentation capabilities, making it an easy target for exploitation. Replacing or upgrading these systems is costly and technically complex, yet leaving them unprotected introduces substantial risk. 

Another major challenge is limited visibility into operational networks. After commissioning, many rigs operate for years with minimal real-time oversight of network configurations, user activity, and software status. This creates blind spots that make it difficult to detect abnormal traffic, identify unauthorized access, or maintain patch compliance.  

As rigs integrate multiple vendor systems, each with unique hardware, software, and communication protocols, the absence of centralized monitoring becomes a critical weakness. Without a unified view of system health and connectivity, even minor configuration errors can escalate into larger vulnerabilities. 

Cybersecurity, like mechanical maintenance, relies on regular attention. However, patch management and antivirus updates in offshore environments are often inconsistent due to logistical constraints, bandwidth limitations, or operational schedules.  

Some rigs defer updates until major maintenance intervals, leaving systems unpatched for years. Others rely on manual processes that cannot keep pace with emerging threats, creating an uneven cybersecurity posture across fleets.  

HUMAN FACTORS 

Even the most advanced cybersecurity infrastructure can be undermined by human error. Crew rotations, vendor interventions, and remote connections introduce variables that can bypass even robust defenses. Unverified portable drives, shared credentials, or unsecured network links all pose serious risks. 

As digital services expand, reliance on external experts for remote troubleshooting and analytics adds exposure. Without strict access controls and real-time monitoring, these temporary connections can create pathways for malware or external threats. 

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS 

New regulations across various regions, combined with increasing cyber risks, require operators and drilling contractors to establish and maintain rig and cloud infrastructures that are resilient against cybersecurity attacks. The European Union’s Network and Information Security (NIS2) Directive establishes comprehensive requirements for organizations to assess and manage cyber risks, implement technical and organizational controls, and report significant security incidents within defined timeframes. It emphasizes a proactive approach to cybersecurity governance, holding both management and service providers accountable for maintaining secure operations. 

Fig. 3. The five-step cybersecurity approach—Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover—helps secure rig control systems, reduce risk, and enable rapid recovery after incidents.

Globally, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62443 standard provides a structured, lifecycle-based framework guiding system integrators, asset owners, and product suppliers through risk assessments, security capability definition, and incident response planning. By defining security levels, access controls, and verification processes, IEC 62443 helps ensure that IACS networks can withstand, respond to, and recover from cyber events.

Meeting these requirements requires more than compliance. To maintain a strong security posture, rig systems need a coordinated cybersecurity strategy that includes vulnerability management, software updates, secure network protocols, and continuous monitoring. 

LAYERED CYBER DEFENSES 

NOV has developed a five-step cybersecurity framework—Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover—that guides its Cybersecurity as a Service model, Fig. 3. Aligned with international standards, such as IEC 62443 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, this structured approach provides a consistent, repeatable methodology for managing vulnerabilities, safeguarding rig networks, monitoring for irregularities, and restoring operations quickly after an incident. By combining proactive prevention with rapid recovery, the framework helps operators and drilling contractors maintain safe and reliable connected rig environments. 

The cybersecurity framework follows the same engineering logic as its equipment design: resilience through layers. A robust cyber defense must be built, monitored, and continuously reinforced. Rather than relying on a single barrier, the company structures its protection as a system in which each layer supports and strengthens the others. 

Fig. 4. NOV’s system patching and antimalware protection services strengthen cyber resilience by promptly applying critical updates, detecting threats early, and accelerating troubleshooting through improved infrastructure visibility.

Building on this structured framework, NOV has expanded its cybersecurity portfolio with system patching and antimalware protection services that keep OT environments current, protected, and visible, Fig. 4. The system patching service provides a structured, vendor-aligned process for maintaining up-to-date and secure rig control systems.  

During the setup phase, NOV upgrades supported Windows operating systems, performs configuration hardening, and installs the Critical System Monitoring (CSMon) application. The CSMon tool tracks both system patching and antimalware status in real time, providing operators with a consolidated view of cybersecurity health across the rig’s operational network. 

Following setup, validated software updates are deployed every six months, each passing through NOV’s centralized quality assurance testing before remote application via the company’s eHawk support platform. This managed update cadence minimizes unplanned downtime and ensures traceable compliance with the IEC 62443 cybersecurity standard. 

The Antimalware Protection Service works in parallel, using Microsoft Defender to secure operational technology nodes against malicious code. The software combines signature-based and behavioral detection to identify and neutralize threats as they appear. Operating as a background process, it protects both modern and legacy Windows-based systems without affecting deterministic control processes or drilling performance. Antimalware definition updates follow the same six-month schedule as system patches, ensuring synchronized protection across all covered nodes. 

Together, these services establish a repeatable, data-driven maintenance model for cybersecurity. By embedding system patching and antimalware protection into routine rig operations, NOV enables operators to maintain secure, compliant, and resilient digital environments that support continuous drilling performance. 

STRENGTHENING RIG RESILIENCE 

For drilling contractors and operators, cybersecurity resilience directly supports uptime and safety. Every unplanned shutdown or cyber incident carries financial, operational and reputational consequences. These comprehensive services minimize these risks by ensuring the systems remain updated, protected and monitored. 

A North Sea operator turned to NOV to meet DNV cybersecurity certification requirements across multiple rigs. The company conducted an assessment, implemented system hardening, and provided an IEC 62443-aligned documentation package. This project improved network segmentation, compliance visibility, and long-term assurance. 

By turning cybersecurity into a life cycle service, NOV enables operators to allocate resources, improve readiness, and maintain reliable, secure operations across fleets. 

SECURITY BY DESIGN 

Fig. 5. Cybersecurity is embedded into every layer of NOVOS, its drilling process automation platform.

NOV’s cybersecurity architecture strategy includes security by design, which ensures that protection is built in from the beginning of software development. Cybersecurity is now intrinsic to every layer of the company’s drilling process and pipe-handling automation platforms, NOVOS™ and Multi Machine Control, Fig. 5. 

This approach embeds secure networking, access control, and data integrity into system architecture rather than applying them after deployment. It represents an engineering and technical shift: security is now a design parameter, not an add-on. As automation, remote operations, and AI-assisted analytics expand, this foundation ensures that performance improvement never comes at the expense of resilience. 

AI AND MACHINE LEARNING 

As offshore rigs become more digitally advanced and connected, traditional rule-based security systems must evolve to keep pace. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are emerging as powerful tools in the next generation of cybersecurity. By analyzing massive volumes of network data and identifying subtle deviations from normal behavior, AI-driven systems can detect emerging threats faster than conventional methods. 

The goal is not to replace human expertise but to augment it, providing engineers and cybersecurity specialists with faster insights and more actionable information. This evolution mirrors the broader direction of the offshore industry itself: combining automation with human judgment to achieve greater safety, efficiency, and consistency. AI-driven cybersecurity represents the next logical step in that progression. 

COLLABORATION AND THE PATH FORWARD 

Effective cybersecurity requires collaboration among original equipment manufacturers, contractors, regulators and operators. NOV’s service model complements this ecosystem by providing transparent documentation, auditable reports, and interoperability with third-party systems. These capabilities enable operators and drilling contractors to demonstrate regulatory compliance and classification society requirements without adding complexity. As the industry’s cybersecurity frameworks mature, aligning standards and sharing best practices will reduce costs, accelerate compliance, and enhance resilience across all assets. 

CONCLUSION 

In today’s offshore industry, maintenance has expanded beyond physical systems to include the digital infrastructure that drives operations. Just as drilling contractors rely on preventive maintenance to ensure mechanical integrity, they must now apply the same rigor to cybersecurity. 

NOV’s layered defense framework protects the heart of the rig—the interconnected control systems and data networks that power modern operations. By integrating patching, antimalware, and monitoring within a single managed service, this continuous protection minimizes downtime, supports compliance with evolving standards, and enables the remote operations, data-driven decisions, and predictive maintenance that empower greater drilling efficiency. 

SEBASTIAN MANGE is NOV’s product line manager for Infrastructure & Connected Products. He joined NOV in 2014 and has worked extensively within aftermarket support, leading Condition Based Maintenance and Automation Lifecycle Management programs. Mr. Mange now focuses on defining product strategy, driving connected product development, and aligning infrastructure initiatives across global stakeholders. He holds a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Management. 

KRUTI PATEL is NOV’s senior manager for Infrastructure & Connected Products. She joined NOV in 2012 and leads global engineering initiatives across rig and cloud infrastructure, connected products, advanced analytics, and cybersecurity to deliver strategic product solutions, advance scalable platform capabilities, and strengthen OT cybersecurity to support digital innovation initiatives. Ms. Patel holds a Master of Computer Applications (MCA). 

ALF FREDVIK is Product Line Director at NOV, leading the drilling equipment and digital solutions for drilling rigs. With a broad engineering background and experience from various high-tech industries, Alf is passionate about how technology can improve rig performance, increase safety and security, and reduce emissions. 

JESSICA STUMP is a senior writer at NOV. She joined NOV in 2022 and has written about the energy industry for more than 14 years. Ms. Stump has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Texas Tech University.