Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), a critical Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) in Assam’s oil and gas sector, faced heightened cybersecurity risks due to its strategic role in fuel supply for Northeast India and its remote operational geography. The company, amid a Rs. 28,000 Crore expansion to triple capacity, was vulnerable to targeted cyber-attacks particularly in the Oil & Gas segment, where cumulative losses across the industry have reached 1.25 lakh crore due to infiltrations. While no specific breach was detailed in the article, the threat landscape included risks of disruption to IT infrastructure, data exposure, or operational outages potentially crippling fuel distribution, financial systems, or regulatory compliance. The lack of in-house cybersecurity expertise and the region’s talent scarcity exacerbated vulnerabilities, necessitating a proactive 24/7 Intelligent SOC solution to mitigate risks like ransomware, espionage, or sabotage that could halt refinery operations, leak sensitive data, or trigger cascading economic impacts in the region.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/numaligarh-refinery-limited
"id": "num0694306102725",
"linkid": "numaligarh-refinery-limited",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "10/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Oil & Gas',
'location': 'Assam, Northeast India',
'name': 'Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL)',
'type': 'Public Sector Undertaking (PSU)'}],
'description': 'Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), a key oil refinery PSU in '
'Assam and Northeast India, faced challenges in safeguarding '
'its data due to its remote location and the increasing threat '
'of cyber-attacks in the Oil & Gas sector. To mitigate risks, '
'NRL partnered with Airtel Business to implement the '
'Intelligent SOC (iSOC), an AI/ML-driven cybersecurity '
'solution. The iSOC provides 24/7 monitoring of NRL’s 1,710 '
'devices (servers, PCs, mobile devices) across its central '
'data center and dispersed locations, proactively identifying '
'and neutralizing threats. This initiative aligns with NRL’s '
'Rs. 28,000 Crore expansion project, ensuring robust '
'protection against evolving cyber threats while maintaining '
'compliance with data regulations.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Positive (enhanced trust due to '
'proactive security measures)',
'operational_impact': 'Minimized (proactive threat detection and '
'mitigation)'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (proactive monitoring via iSOC)',
'lessons_learned': ['Remote PSUs face unique cybersecurity challenges due to '
'talent shortages and geographic isolation.',
'Proactive threat detection (via AI/ML) is critical for '
'operational resilience in high-risk sectors like Oil & '
'Gas.',
'Third-party partnerships (e.g., Airtel Secure iSOC) can '
'bridge capability gaps for organizations lacking '
'in-house expertise.'],
'motivation': ['Preventive Security',
'Operational Resilience',
'Regulatory Compliance'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Deployment of Airtel '
'Secure iSOC for 24/7 '
'AI/ML-driven monitoring.',
'Centralized threat '
'intelligence and analytics '
'across dispersed IT '
'infrastructure.',
'Proactive compliance with '
'data regulations to add '
'defensive layers.'],
'root_causes': ['Lack of in-house cybersecurity '
'talent due to remote location.',
'Increasing cyber threats '
'targeting Indian government '
'institutions (+48% attacks).',
'High-value target status (Oil & '
'Gas sector with Rs. 1.25 lac '
'crore cumulative losses).']},
'recommendations': ['Invest in AI/ML-driven SOC solutions for real-time '
'threat mitigation.',
'Prioritize cybersecurity culture and training, '
'especially during expansion phases.',
'Leverage external expertise to supplement internal '
'capabilities in remote or high-risk environments.'],
'references': [{'source': 'Data Security Council of India (DSCI)'},
{'source': 'Airtel Business Case Study on NRL'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'Ensured compliance '
'with data regulations '
'(unspecified)'},
'response': {'containment_measures': 'AI/ML-driven threat detection and '
'neutralization',
'enhanced_monitoring': '24/7 monitoring of 1,710 devices '
'(servers, PCs, mobile devices)',
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes (via Airtel Secure '
'iSOC)',
'remediation_measures': 'Continuous monitoring and advanced '
'analytics',
'third_party_assistance': ['Airtel Business (Intelligent SOC)']},
'title': 'Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) Cybersecurity Strengthening '
'Initiative with Airtel Secure iSOC',
'type': ['Cybersecurity Enhancement', 'Proactive Threat Mitigation']}