Energy firms hit by '2.4m cyber attacks weekly'

That was the message IBM executive Kristin Lovejoy had for industry members, relaying that on average energy companies are hit by 2.4 million cyber threats every week.

“You have not only been attacked, you have been compromised,” Lovejoy, general manager of IBM's security services division, warned an audience as part of a panel on risk management at IHS CeraWeek.

The attacks generally originate with silent malware that gets downloaded through clicking on an internet link or another security leak, Lovejoy explained.