HOUSTON, May 8 (Xinhua) -- A project manager of China Mobile International Limited (CMI) said Tuesday night that energy enterprises, like companies in other industries, are facing challenging of cyber security.

Gongpeng Wei, project manager of CMI which is headquartered in Hong Kong and is a wholly owned subsidiary of China Mobile, told the 2019 Energy Industry Theme Reception, held in Houston, U.S. state of Texas during the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), that 2018 was a year of frequent information leakage incidents.

"For example, hackers spread malware called VPNFilter, which can infect dozens of mainstream router models. As a result, over 500,000 routers worldwide were controlled," he said, adding that cyber attacks may lead to leakage of user information, marketing plan as well as company's developing strategy, which may cause a company to incur substantial losses.

According to Wei, cyber security mainly refers to all system-related devices, including internet, telecommunications network, wide-area network, internet of things, computer systems, communication systems, as well as industrial control systems.

China Mobile is the largest telecom operator in the world by network scale and subscribing base, and is among the top companies in terms of market capitalization and brand value. In order to provide better services to meet the growing demand in international telecommunications market, China Mobile established CMI in 2010.

The 2019 Energy Industry Theme Reception was organized by Nguyen & Chen LLP, a Houston-based law firm, in cooperation with Ernst & Young LLP and Merrill, a Bank of America company.

OTC, the world's largest annual oil and gas trade show, is held in Houston from Monday to Thursday. Chinese participants in the event include state-run leading companies such as China National Offshore Oil Corp. and China National Petroleum Corp., as well as private enterprises from across the country.

The technical program of the four-day event includes more than 80 sessions, industry breakfasts and themed luncheons covering a wide range of topics.

This year's new program, Around the World Series, features global industry leaders from Australia, Canada, France, Ghana, Guyana, Israel, Mexico, Norway and Britain to discuss new licensing and business opportunities, as well as recently introduced technologies.

Founded in 1969, OTC provides a platform for energy professionals to exchange thoughts to advance scientific and technical knowledge on offshore resources and environmental matters.