Modern Mining April 2021

Gold standard protection for mining data

The resources sector is adopting innova- tion, in particular digital technologies, at an increasingly rapid rate, a transformation that also brings the risk of falling victim to cyber criminals. Paul House, CEO of leading mining- tech company IMDEX, says the take-up of new technologies is happening on a scale that has not been seen in the past – a confluence of the effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic and the need to replace depleted existing reserves. “This is partly by necessity, to enable remote working, and partly by opportunity, as these technologies will enable faster drilling, more efficient drilling, and better decision making,” he says. But every tool and technology that is added to a mining company’s arsenal – from exploration to production – increases the attack surface for hackers. IMDEX has countered by achieving the “gold standard” in data security – certi- fication against the exacting standards of ISO27001, an international informa-

tion security standard recognised in 161 countries. The threat of cyber-attack intensifies as competitors, organised crime, and “State- based actors”, seek to gain advantage by malicious means – searching for vulnerabili- ties in business systems that will allow them access a company’s most important secrets. The Australian Cyber Security Centre has warned that the likelihood and sever- ity of cyber-attacks is increasing because of the growing dependence on new information technology platforms and inter- connected devices and systems. “Cybercrime is one of the most per- vasive threats facing Australia, and the most significant threat in terms of overall volume and impact to individuals and busi- nesses,” the ACSC said in its annual report last year. Price Waterhouse Coopers’ 2021 CEO Survey revealed that 47% of CEOs said they were extremely concerned about cyber threats. It was the top threat for CEOs in North America and Western Europe, sec-

ond only to pandemics and health crises, at 52%. A breakdown for Australia revealed that 95% of CEOs surveyed cited cyber as a threat to business growth. Global communications

Paul House, CEO of IMDEX.

company Inmarsat, in a 2020 report examin- ing the rise of IoT in mining, said the majority of mining organisations were struggling to meet the security challenges presented by the IoT. The report found that while respondents in their research were aware of the dam- age that a cyber- attack could trigger, the response so far to the threats had been minimal. Inmarsat Director of Mining Nicholas Prevost says the mining sector stands to make considerable gains by leveraging IoT. “However, as IoT connects more parts of a mining company’s operations and infra- structure to the internet, this will inevitably create more access points for potential security breaches,” he says. 

April 2021  MODERN MINING  35