Rapport

132

FFI-RAPPORT 16/00707

B.6 Crime: Theft

Scenario number 6

Theft/criminality

Scenario justification

Justification

: Theft is one of the most relevant threats that the Piql Preservation Services faces.

Depending on the sensitivity and value of the information stored on the piqlFilm and the

capacity and intentions of the threat actors, they may attempt to steal the piqlFilms from inside

the piqlVault. If the threat actor can enlist the help of an insider, a Piql operator prone to

criminal behaviour, the greater the danger to the security of the piqlFilm is. This scenario can be

valid for all sectors and all nations, and as such is an important one.

Purpose

: In one (future) context or another, the piqlFilms are a likely target for theft. Such a

deliberate attack on the Piql Preservation Services is perhaps the greatest challenge it will face.

Here, the threat actor will specifically target and make informed decisions on how to breach the

security parameters surrounding the piqlVault, unlike when the Piql system is subject to an

accident or it is collateral damage in a separate event. The importance of proper protection to

prevent and/or obstruct such attacks cannot be stressed enough.

Benefit

: To highlight the importance of securing the Piql Preservation Services against

deliberate threats both external and internal.

Scenario outline

The scenario is set in the geographical zone Middle (Middle East). In a future setting there is a

worldwide scarcity of oil and no alternative energy source. The demand for oil is sky high, and

so are its prices. With this as the main motivation a major rival oil company X steals oil well

analyses from the oil company Y which uses the Piql system for their archival needs. These are

analyses from several ―dry‖ oil wells that have been drilled in one of company Y’s oil fields

since early 2020. The analyses have been done using a new technology applied to old seismic

data which can show that the ―dry‖ oil wells are not dry at all. Having this technology means

that the oil company Y can buy ―dry‖ oil wells at low costs and still make a profit. Being the

only oil company on the market with this knowledge gives them a great advantage. The rival oil

company X naturally wants to get their hands on this new method of oil well analysis. Such is

their desire for the information that the actor decides to bribe a Piql operator working at

company Y’s headquarters. The insider is a high level operator and has complete access to the

EWMS in the piqlVault system. The operator easily orders the pickup of the relevant piqlFilms

and simply removes them from the facility. The transaction is logged and the operator is later

revealed to be the culprit, but the bribe was of such a substantial size that the operator has

already left the country to start a new life elsewhere. Regardless, the damage has already been

done: oil company Y has lost its competitive advantage.