Zhang Ping
(Records Management Department of Sinopec Zhongyuan Oilfield)
Abstract What are the people prying into China's geographic and geological secrets ? By analyzing the importance of geographic and geological data, the author emphasizes that it is more important to keep the secrets of geographic and geological data of petrochemical enterprises. By analyzing the five channels that may lead to the leakage of geographic and geological information of petrochemical enterprises, the author puts forward five methods to solve the leakage: ① Be security conscious when importing mechanical equipment. ② Strengthen the security of oil and gas wells in oil fields. ③Strengthen and improve the file lending procedures. ④ Strengthen the management of database and entry personnel. ⑤ The results of archive compilation and research should be included in the confidentiality work.
Keywords: Petrochemicals, geography, geology, data, security
A special group of foreign "ground troops" have been spotted from time to time in various parts of China, illegally collecting all kinds of important geographic coordinates and geologic information with small and sophisticated mapping equipment. These people either as "tourists", or relying on the background of scientific research institutions or claiming to hold the China Earthquake Administration Institute of Crustal Stress and other Chinese institutions of the invitation letter, but its surveying and mapping behavior are not in accordance with the provisions of the prior submission of the approval of the survey and mapping of the content and accuracy of the data exceeds the scope of the legitimate surveying and mapping permit, can be directly used for military purposes. Why are these people doing this?
Previously, a staff officer of a ministry in Xinjiang recalled that a patrol unit routinely checked a Land Cruiser at the edge of the forbidden zone, and found that the maps used by the Japanese "tourists" in the car were extremely accurate, and several unnamed paths and bridges that did not exist in Chinese civilian maps were clearly marked, and even numbered with the PLA's own maps. Even the numbering was consistent with the PLA's own maps. In a subsequent coordinated inspection with the local security authorities, it was found that a large amount of geographic information within the restricted military zone was stored in the laptop computers and photographic equipment in the car. So why did these Japanese and Americans collect this geographic and geological information? And what is the mystery of this?
Geographic information is an important element in state secrets. Since ancient times, geographic information determines the trend of war and the fate of a country, there is no country that does not pay attention to geography, and this is especially true of military powers. NATO's precision bombing of Gaddafi's Libyan capital residence, Azizia Barracks, and many other targets, all thanks to the precise location of Libyan military facilities in the air and on the ground before. The killing of Osama bin Laden was also attributed to the precise location of Libyan military facilities. Bin Laden was also killed thanks to precise geographic intelligence from U.S. Special Forces.
Not only is this geographic information important, but some of the geologic information that is common in our oil patch also contains important military and political-economic information. The oil pylons that can be found everywhere in our oil regions, if systematically inventoried, are also strategic intelligence. Xue Feng, an American geologist, was sentenced to eight years in prison for stealing Chinese state secrets. According to the report, Xue Feng collected a large number of topographic documents of Chinese onshore oil wells through various channels, as well as a database of coordinates of more than 30,000 oil and gas wells under PetroChina, and sold the data to the U.S.-based HIS Energy Consulting Company for a profit of $228,500. Some people may say what is the use of these data? Oil wells can be found everywhere, it's not a secret. In fact, this is just as secret as military information. The secret lies in the fact that once this strategic oil information is stolen, it will be easier for China's oil industry to analyze the actual extraction capacity, supply and demand of goods, and the room for price fluctuations in negotiations on foreign projects, oil imports and exports, and equipment purchases, thus putting the Chinese side in an unfavorable position. This is tantamount to manipulating the strategic lifeline for China, which is heavily dependent on oil imports.
In wartime, precise information on the coordinates of oil wells can provide navigation for cruise missiles and dexterity bombs. In wartime, if a large number of China's oil wells were struck, the country's oil supply would be in dire straits, the movement of airplanes, warships, and tanks would be limited by lack of fuel, civilian energy supplies would come to a halt, and oil zones would be heavily polluted.
Seemingly ordinary derricks and wells in our oilfields have important economic and military value. If we do not protect these geographic and geological information, oil wells geological file lending and utilization is not taken seriously, may be the lawless elements to exploit the loopholes, for the country and the enterprise to bring incalculable losses. The following is an example of China's crude oil fields to analyze the possibility of geo-geological information leakage and measures to prevent leakage.
Zhongyuan Oilfield is located in Henan Province. As far as Henan is concerned, the geographic location cannot be underestimated, the Central Plains zone is connected to the north and south, and the geographic location is even more important in wartime, once the various transportation routes connecting the east, west, south and north are cut off, the situation is difficult to estimate. Geological information on the thousands of oil and gas wells developed in the Zhongyuan oilfields is also important, and once the geological information on the oil and gas wells is leaked, the coordinates of the oil wells can provide navigation for cruise missiles and dexterity bombs. Oil wells can also become targets for enemy sabotage. As a petrochemical company in the oil and gas field geological archives managers, shoulder an important mission, not usually think that we do just a simple job, not sacred and not important. If the archivist management of oil and gas field geological data do not pay attention to confidentiality, once the information leaks, then no matter in wartime, or ordinary economic activities, will be the ulterior motive of the neck.
Oil field geo-geological information will leak from which channels? I think it can be leaked from the following aspects.
(1) in the development process of oil and gas wells geographic information is leaked
Chinese Construction Machinery Industry Association Excavating Machinery Branch Secretary General Chen Zhengli revealed: a Japanese-funded enterprises annually production and sales of thousands of excavators to tens of thousands of cumulative dispersed in the construction of the land in China there are tens of thousands of units of construction, most of the machines are installed on the GPS Intelligent Service System. These systems may seem to bring benefits to management, but because the servers supporting the system are located abroad, all the collected data is transmitted to Japan, and a small portion of the data is processed and transmitted back to China, where some geographic data is leaked. So if we were using a Japanese excavator with a GPS-enabled smart system, the geographic location of the wells could be compromised.
(2) Illegal elements use compact mapping equipment to collect data from oil and gas wells, leading to the leakage of related geographic data
Some people may say that satellites nowadays have created a world without secrets, so why are there still people who can do illegal mapping? Simply put, current satellite technology is not sufficient to map precise data that can be used in precision-guided weapons. The images taken by satellites have a very high resolution, but mapping still requires relevant personnel to carry equipment to complete the orientation of satellite images through ground surveys, and only after the completion of the orientation can the features be measured on the images. If there is no ground support means for positioning and calibration, there will be a large error in the positioning of the image due to the satellite's own orbit. Even if the orbit is not a problem, the accuracy of the satellite image is difficult to guarantee. For example, the earth's surface is not a flat white paper, but with a certain curvature, coupled with the refraction of the atmosphere on the light will also lead to image distortion, the mapping effect is bound to be discounted. Only a detailed understanding of the shape of the target, the nature of the structure, location and the interrelationship of the surrounding targets will be of greater value in the military.
(3) the formation of the archives after the geographic and geological information in the loan may be leaked
If we are in the archives in the loan of the use of the authority to approve the lax, by some lawless elements to take advantage of, then there is a risk of leading to the leakage of geologic information about the oil and gas wells. Especially large quantities of borrowing oil and gas field geology files, there must be strict approval procedures.
(4) Leakage of geological information about oil and gas wells in the process of storage due to attacks on the database system
As far as the oilfield is concerned, there are several different database systems for storing information about oil and gas field exploration and development, among which there is a set of databases in the drilling company, which is used by the data formation units to submit geological data to the drilling office after entering them, and another set is the digital archive of the oilfield, which has the data of the whole bureau recorded in it. Another set is the oilfield digital archive where the geological data related to the exploration and development files of the whole bureau are recorded, and the third set is the geological information database that is remitted to the State Geological Archives Bureau. If these databases are attacked, then these geologic data may be leaked. If the administrators and users of the databases do not have security awareness and leak out their user names or passwords, which are utilized by lawless elements, then the leakage is inevitable and the consequences are unimaginable.
(5) geological file information from the compilation and research results leaked out
We archive work, as archivists will carry out some of the oil and gas field exploration and development file compilation and research work, these compilations and research may be brought together in the oilfield drilling companies or even the entire oilfield oil and gas exploration and development of the relevant geological data information. If the textual materials formed by the compilation and research are not kept confidential, or even distributed to the hands of various users at will; when the users use them at will, it may lead to the leakage of the geological information of the oil and gas wells.
In view of the above situations, I believe that in order to protect the important geo-geological information from being leaked, we can take precautions from the following aspects.
(1) Importing machinery and equipment with security awareness
When importing foreign machinery and equipment, it is necessary to determine whether there is a GPS positioning device, and whether the relevant server is in the country. If it is in foreign countries, it is necessary to carefully consider whether such equipment must be used. At the same time, the relevant state departments should also protest against these violations of our laws and propose solutions.
(2) Strengthen the security of oil and gas wells in the oilfield
Strengthen the security of the oil area, organize training for security personnel, teach them to know the surveying and mapping equipment, and must prevent the outsiders who are suspicious and carry surveying and mapping equipment from getting close to the wells, and carry out all-round patrols in the oil area, to prevent leakage of geographic and geological information of the oil wells.
(3) Strengthening and perfecting the file lending procedures
In the process of file lending, the importance of the user's authority approval must be informed of the file formation unit, requiring the file formation unit to strictly control the number of people using the file and political orientation. Records management personnel in the file lending process, must strictly review the lending procedures, incomplete procedures are not allowed to borrow files.
(4) Strengthen the management of the database and entry personnel
Since the database stores a large amount of geographic and geological information, so the maintenance of the database is very important to prevent hacker attacks and server vulnerabilities. The data entry personnel and users with various kinds of privileges must protect their user names and passwords, change passwords frequently, and close the relevant web pages when they leave the computer during use.
(5) archive compilation and research results to be included in the confidentiality
For the compilation and research in the possible leakage of geographic and geological information, I think the archives staff to recognize what data is essential, these data try not to go to the compilation and research. If it must be compiled and researched. Then it is necessary to put forward confidentiality requirements for those who use the results of the compilation and research, to ensure that these geological archive information is not used by unscrupulous people.
What people are prying into China's geographic and geological secrets we do not know, but as the guardian of these secrets, we have the obligation to keep the secrets, for the country, the people's security to do their duty.