KUWAIT CITY, July 14: The Audit Bureau’s report for the fiscal year 2022/2023 highlighted issues with Contract No. “105/CH/IT,” assigned to a local company for the cybersecurity operations center at Kuwait Integrated Petroleum Industries Company (KIPIC), reports Al-Jarida daily. The report revealed several shortcomings such as:

? The contract work, aimed at installing a protection system at Al-Zour Refinery, Industrial Island, and liquefied gas import facilities, failed to commence by March 31, 2023, despite a start date specified for May 2022. This delay was attributed to work groups not issuing necessary approvals for the contractor, resulting in inadequate cyber protection for the hardware, refinery operations, LNG facilities, and the artificial island.

? A foreign contractor tasked with maintaining and supporting control devices for precision machines at Al-Zour Refinery and liquefied gas facilities did not provide essential information to start contract implementation. The contractor also requested additional funds, citing concerns over potential equipment malfunctions post-implementation.

? The company’s cybersecurity level drastically fell to 1.5, significantly below Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s set standards of 4 and 5, as per the Deloitte cybersecurity rating system.

The Audit Bureau recommended urgent measures to rectify these issues, stressing the importance of fulfilling contract obligations to enhance cybersecurity and protect KIPIC’s infrastructure. The company responded with plans for bi-monthly meetings among cybersecurity, maintenance, and engineering teams to expedite contract implementation and ensure comprehensive support for cybersecurity operations.