Global events can have ripple effects far beyond politics and economics—especially across the cybersecurity landscape. As geopolitical tensions evolve in the Middle East, cyber activity targeting critical industries often increases. The national news reported on March 11, 2026 that an Iran-linked hacker group appeared to have conducted its first significant cyberattack against Stryker, a US medical tech company. While this attack focused on healthcare, similar threats could emerge across energy, fuel, retail, restaurants, automotive, and other prominent industries.
To better understand the intersection of geopolitics, cybersecurity, and the fuel ecosystem, we spoke with Phillip Smith, Senior Director of Security and Compliance at PDI Technologies. With more than two decades of cybersecurity experience and a background in petroleum logistics and military intelligence, Phillip shares his unique insight into how global events can impact the technology infrastructure that powers fuel and convenience retail operations.
Q: From a cybersecurity perspective, why is the Middle East strategically important?
A: The Middle East sits at the center of global energy production and transportation, which makes it strategically significant not only geopolitically but also in cybersecurity terms.
One of the most important factors is the Strait of Hormuz, which is used to transport roughly 20% of the world’s petroleum supply. When you combine that with the concentration of oil-producing nations in the region, it becomes clear why activity there has global implications.
Cyber operations are increasingly used as a strategic tool during geopolitical conflicts. Nation-state actors and affiliated groups often use cyber capabilities for intelligence gathering, influence campaigns, and in some cases, disruption of infrastructure that supports economic stability.
Because energy is such a critical part of the global economy, the systems that support it—from production to logistics to retail distribution—can become targets during periods of heightened tension.
Q: When geopolitical tensions escalate, do we typically see a rise in cyber activity?
A: Yes, that pattern has repeated many times. When geopolitical tensions increase, we usually see a corresponding rise in cyber activity. It often begins with reconnaissance—things like infrastructure scanning, credential attacks, and probing for vulnerabilities.
State-aligned threat groups use cyber activity for several reasons:
- Retaliation against perceived adversaries
- Strategic signaling during geopolitical conflicts
- Disruption of economic sectors
Critical infrastructure is frequently a focus because it creates a disproportionate impact. Even relatively small cyber incidents can generate large economic or operational consequences when they affect energy, transportation, or logistics systems.
Q: Why are energy infrastructure and fuel networks such attractive targets for cyber attackers?
A: Energy infrastructure is what we call a high-impact target with relatively low attack effort compared to other sectors.
If attackers disrupt energy distribution, even temporarily, the downstream effects can be significant. Fuel shortages, transportation delays, price volatility, and supply chain disruptions can quickly follow.
There are also technical reasons why energy systems are attractive targets. Many environments combine modern IT systems with legacy operational technology. In fuel retail environments, for example, you might see systems like:
- Fuel pumps and forecourt controllers
- Tank gauges and monitoring equipment
- Store point-of-sale systems
- Payment networks and loyalty platforms
These systems often operate across distributed physical locations, which expands the attack surface and makes centralized security much more complex.
Q: What cybersecurity risks should convenience retailers and fuel operators pay attention to right now?
A: Fuel retailers operate in a uniquely interconnected environment where the store, forecourt, and payment ecosystem all intersect.
Some of the most common risk areas we see include:
- Point-of-sale and payment system compromise:
Attackers often target payment infrastructure because it can provide immediate financial gain or sensitive customer data.
- Loyalty account takeover and fraud:
Digital loyalty programs have become valuable targets as attackers attempt to exploit rewards balances or stored payment methods.
- Remote access abuse:
Many retail environments rely on remote maintenance or vendor access. If those connections aren’t secured properly, they can become entry points.
- Ransomware affecting store operations:
Ransomware incidents can disrupt day-to-day operations, impacting both payment processing and site management systems.
- Operational technology exposure:
Legacy devices like fuel pumps, tank gauges, and site controllers were not originally designed with modern cybersecurity threats in mind, which can create additional risk if they’re not properly segmented and monitored.
Q: Where are the biggest cybersecurity vulnerabilities across the supply chain?
A: In many cases, the greatest risks exist in the connections between organizations, rather than within a single company’s network.
Fuel distribution involves a complex supply chain ecosystem—refiners, wholesalers, retailers, logistics providers, payment processors, and technology vendors. Each connection introduces potential exposure and risk.
Some of the most common vulnerability areas include:
- Third-party vendor access
- Remote maintenance connections
- Identity and access management gaps
- Legacy systems integrated with modern platforms
- APIs supporting digital services and loyalty programs
Organizations that understand the interconnected supply chain environment, and monitor it continuously, are better positioned to detect and respond to threats quickly.
Q: What steps can fuel retailers and petroleum wholesalers take to strengthen their cybersecurity posture?
A: Cybersecurity in the fuel retail and petroleum wholesale industry must be approached as an ecosystem-wide risk problem, spanning operational technology, payment systems, distributed retail sites, vendor access, and cloud infrastructure.
To build a resilient posture, organizations should focus on several key areas:
- Comprehensive asset visibility across IT, OT, and IoT platforms
- Continuous threat monitoring in highly distributed retail and wholesale networks
- Adoption of Zero Trust architecture, including strong identity management, device trust, and micro-segmentation between OT and IT
- Strict control and governance of vendor and remote access, employing least-privilege and just-in-time models
- Enhanced payment system security, including POS hardening, encryption, and tokenization
- Risk mitigation for legacy and unsupported systems, which are typical in forecourt and store environments
- Rapid detection and response capabilities supported by a 24/7 SOC operation
- Resilience and business continuity planning to maintain operations during cyber incidents and supported by tested disaster recovery plans
- Integration of physical and cybersecurity controls, especially at retail sites
- Continuous threat intelligence to stay ahead and counteract evolving attack strategies
The valuable role of a trusted cybersecurity partner
For many fuel distributors and convenience retailers, partnering with a dedicated cybersecurity provider can help strengthen defenses and improve resilience.
A Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) like PDI can provide:
- Fully customized cybersecurity solutions
- Flexible vulnerability scans, security appliances, secure Wi-Fi, and network edge management
- Event management operated by a 24/7/365 SOC
- Network visibility with real-time logs and reporting
As cyber threats continue to evolve alongside geopolitical events, organizations that take a proactive approach to security, and work with experienced partners, will be better prepared to protect their operations, their customers, and the broader fuel ecosystem.
Contact our team to learn more about how PDI can help you navigate today’s complex threat landscape with confidence.