How To Recover From A Cyber Attack And Avoid Getting Targeted Again

By ARUME

Your gas station ATG has been hit by a cyberattack, leaving your station compromised and unable to sell fuel. Your sales of the profitable items in your store have dropped because customers are not stopping to buy fuel. Even worse, many of your loyal customers won’t return even when your station can sell fuel.

The good news? You can recover. The even better news? You can take steps to prevent future attacks altogether. Here's a breakdown of what to do:

Recovering Your ATG System:

  • Disconnect and Secure: Isolate your ATG from the internet to prevent further attacks but be aware that your fuel suppliers will be flying blind. Inventory management, logistics, and other vital services that rely on internet connectivity will be disrupted. This can lead to fuel shortages and potential price hikes.
  • Configuration Restoration: Here's the tricky part: you probably need to restore your ATG's settings. Ideally, you should have:
    • Recent Setup Printouts: Regularly print copies of your ATG configuration settings. This way, you can manually re-enter them if needed (even without a technician). Thermal paper fades over time, so store printouts in a cool place.
    • Automatic Restore Services: Consider services like Kachoolie Compliant that can back up and restore your ATG configuration.

The Takeaway:

  • Don't be vulnerable: Understand and secure your ATG system to avoid attacks in the first place. Our recommendation is to secure your ATG communications with the right solutions before an attack can occur.
  • Have a backup plan: Regularly back up your ATG configuration for a faster recovery and avoid expensive technician costs to reconfigure your tank gauge from scratch.
  • Think twice before reconnecting: Disconnecting from the internet disrupts services but if your remote access solution is known to be vulnerable and your station has been hacked once, it can happen again. Secure your tank gauge before reconnecting, even if that requires downtime - better to be safe than sorry.

By following these steps, you can recover your gas station's ATG system after a cyberattack and minimize downtime. A proactive approach to cybersecurity is essential to keeping your gas station safe and operational.