http://www.forbes.com/sites/lorensteffy/2014/06/30/what-if-oil-companies-apply-the-same-tactics-for-cybersecurity-to-safety/ By Loren Steffy Forbes.com 6/30/2014 The American Petroleum Institute is working with several large U.S. oil companies to assemble a team of cybersecurity specialists that would help identify and prevent malicious software attacks against the computers that control the country’s energy infrastructure. Led by an executive for Dallas-based Hunt Oil, the group will serve as a clearinghouse of sorts for threats to automated systems. By improving communication among oil companies, the group, known as the Oil and Natural Gas Information Sharing and Analysis Center, hopes to get companies working together to thwart attacks that could cripple offshore rigs, refineries, pipelines and other equipment. The approach makes a lot of sense. After all, the potential for hackers to target energy company computer systems poses a mutual threat that is best addressed when companies combine their efforts. The oil and gas industry has shown remarkable solidarity when it comes to addressing what it perceives as a common outside threat, whether it comes from hackers or new regulations the industry considers onerous. It’s been far less willing, however, to take such a collaborative approach to confront threats from within its own ranks. […]