Industrial systems, financial systems, freight distribution networks and essential utilities like water, gas and electricity. They all make up our Critical National Infrastructure. But who protects our CNI and what are the threats?
Where does your water come from? The electricity that powers your business networks, industrial equipment or homes? What would happen if the rail network stopped and freight could not be transported? How soon would it be before our shops ran out of food, and our factories ran out of raw materials?
What would the impact be of a protracted, powerful Denial-of-Service attack on Wall Street or the trading systems in London? And if power stations stopped generating electricity – how long would it be before the lights went out?
In our modern world, we take for granted the services, industrial processes and resources that help our society to function smoothly, day to day. Yet, there is growing concern that the services and resources that make up our Critical National Infrastructure could be significantly impacted by growing threats from cyber attacks or terrorism.