Industry specialists say the biggest shift in recent years is a move away from reactive cybersecurity toward proactive, risk-based operational technology (OT) protection — with greater executive oversight and tighter alignment with fiduciary and national security obligations. (Image: Rockwell Automation)Cyber preparedness is rapidly moving from a back-office IT concern to a front-line operational priority for midstream and compression operators, as interconnected control systems, remote access and third-party integrations expand the potential attack surface across pipeline and compressor station environments.
Industry specialists say the biggest shift in recent years is a move away from reactive cybersecurity toward proactive, risk-based operational technology (OT) protection — with greater executive oversight and tighter alignment with fiduciary and national security obligations.
“Energy companies are moving from reactive security to proactive risk management,” said Chad Humphries, solution consultant for secure digital operations – CYB at Rockwell Automation. “There is also a growing emphasis on supply chain and third-party vendor security, because systems today are deeply interconnected.”
From reactive defense to proactive risk management
Compression and pipeline systems have traditionally focused on reliability, safety and mechanical integrity. But increasing digitalization — including remote monitoring, connected controls, wireless communications and cloud-based analytics — has reshaped cyber risk profiles across the midstream sector.
Operators are now confronting a more complex threat landscape that includes indirect exposure through vendors, contractors and service providers. Humphries pointed to other industries with complex supplier ecosystems as cautionary examples of how cyber weaknesses can cascade across organizations when third-party controls are insufficiently hardened.
The result is a broader shift in mindset: cyber risk is no longer viewed as an isolated IT problem, but as an operational and enterprise-wide exposure that must be continuously managed.
Cybersecurity as fiduciary duty
Another notable change is how cybersecurity investments are being framed at the executive and board level. Rather than being treated strictly as a technology cost center, cyber programs are increasingly justified as core fiduciary obligations.
“The business case has shifted from IT cost center to core fiduciary obligation — to protect national security and shareholder value interests,” Humphries said. “Cyber is a threat to national security and commerce.”
That shift is influencing capital allocation decisions, governance models and reporting structures. Cyber preparedness is now more commonly tied to enterprise risk management, governance, risk and compliance frameworks, and board-level oversight — particularly for operators of critical energy infrastructure.
Building a foundation in OT cybersecurity
For operators developing or maturing OT cybersecurity programs, the first step is often a baseline assessment of current capabilities across people, processes and technologies.
“Organizations need to understand what is currently in place,” Humphries said. “Then leadership can compare existing program elements against recognized industry standards and identify the gaps.”
Chad HumphriesHe points to the IEC-62443 standards framework as a practical reference model for architecting industrial cybersecurity programs. In particular, system-level design guidance helps operators build phased, standards-based programs without disrupting ongoing operations.
This phased approach is especially important in compression and pipeline environments where uptime requirements limit how quickly systems can be modified.
Why asset visibility drives better cyber decisions
One of the most persistent weaknesses in OT cybersecurity is incomplete asset visibility. Many operators lack a continuously updated inventory of connected devices, software versions and network pathways inside compressor stations and pipeline control environments.
Real-time asset inventory tools change that equation by continuously discovering and classifying OT assets and their vulnerabilities.
“Asset inventory management tools help enumerate, enrich, contextualize and reconcile threats in real time,” Humphries said. “That reduces the cyber fatigue burden placed on security operations center teams.”
Without accurate asset and vulnerability visibility, security teams struggle to prioritize remediation. With it, they can risk-rank exposures and focus limited resources where they have the greatest operational impact.
Understanding return on security investment
Cybersecurity tools can be expensive and complex, raising questions about return on security investment, or ROSI. Unlike production equipment, cyber investments do not directly generate revenue — but they can materially reduce the probability and impact of disruptive events.
“ROSI is realized when security technologies are leveraged to proactively reduce tolerated risk and strengthen defense capability,” Humphries said. “It is still a cost center category, but operators should ask which technologies most effectively reduce the likelihood of an attack by addressing vulnerabilities in real time.”
In practice, that often favors tools that improve visibility, accelerate patching decisions and shorten detection and response times.
Where cyber risk concentrates in compression operations
Cyber risk in compressor stations most often emerges where defenses are weakest — typically in outdated or poorly maintained endpoints, legacy control components and lightly managed remote access pathways.
“The greatest risk is usually where threat actors face the least resistance,” Humphries said. “Business units with the most outdated technologies or endpoints that are not routinely patched tend to carry the most exploitable vulnerabilities.”
Third-party connections, vendor remote access and unmanaged field devices can also create exposure if not properly segmented and monitored.
Industry standards such as IEC-62443 are gaining traction as practical frameworks for OT cybersecurity. Experts recommend that operators focus on system-level guidance and foundational security requirements to enable phased implementation.
Section 3 of the IEC-62443 series, which addresses system design and architecture, provides structured guidance on segmentation, security levels and foundational requirements that can be implemented incrementally.
At the same time, evolving communications architectures — including LTE and 5G — can offer both new efficiencies and improved security capabilities when properly configured.
Regulation is also tightening. U.S. and European regulatory frameworks aimed at critical infrastructure cybersecurity are expanding, and many observers expect additional requirements in the coming years.
Top priority for 2026: OT visibility and SOC integration
Looking ahead, cyber preparedness requirements for compression and pipeline operators are expected to grow as assets become more connected, electrified and software-driven.
For operators planning their 2026 cyber roadmaps, Humphries recommends a clear first priority: connect OT environments to dedicated monitoring and response capabilities and deploy modern asset inventory tools.
“Either address tolerated risk in real time with emerging security tools or connect OT environments to a security operations center,” he said. “A dedicated asset inventory management tool and SOC function for the OT environment is a must-have right now.”
As compression and pipeline systems continue their digital transition, cyber preparedness is becoming inseparable from operational reliability — and increasingly central to how midstream companies define risk, resilience and readiness.
