The country’s critical infrastructure includes facilities that are responsible for the crucial processes for the economy of the state and people’s life. Critical infrastructure is vulnerable to physical attacks, cyber-attacks, and natural disasters. These are the factors without which the country’s normal existence is impossible, and the attack on critical infrstructure implies difficulties and discomfort for the population. Critical infrastructure includes the energy sector, water supply, the chemical sector, the transportation system, agriculture, the defense industry, the financial sector, the information department, and others. These objects, although they are protected, have their own vulnerabilities that one is trying to level. Thus, the purpose of the work is to analyze the food/agricultural, energy, and transport sectors of critical infrastructure in terms of physical, cyber, or natural disaster threats.
The first type of threat to critical infrastructure that will be discussed is a physical attack on the object. It includes the use of force, deceit, violence, destruction, or cunning to take over, destroy, or damage objects important to the chosen infrastructure (Keupp, 2020). These items involve documentation, servers, websites, or property in warehouses, garages, and others (Keupp, 2020). In other words, one uses any effort to steal or destroy, for example, infrastructure servers that store important data. For this, one may break into or demolish the building in which the servers are stored, if used.
The selected critical infrastructure for the physical attack example is the food/agricultural sector. It is argued that a large number of objects are present in warehouses and factories, which formulates vulnerability (Keupp, 2020). Agriculture and food relate to National Security because it formulates a strategic reserve and vital resources for the country’s population. Some objects are strictly guarded, with the use of armed personnel and the army, which constitutes the importance of this sector. The known risks from the hypothetical threat, namely physical attack, include the destruction of a large amount of stock of grain or other resources in warehouses, which can lead to a food crisis. It may be in the form of arson or the use of chemicals and, in the future, may provoke system failure in the agricultural sector, resulting in a severe slump.
Furthermore, factories that process raw materials into a finished product are also vulnerable to physical attack. The building can be occupied, destroyed, or damaged, resulting in a slowdown in the manufacturing process and economic problems (Keupp, 2020). The damage from the hypothetical physical attack may negatively influence dependencies between critical infrastructure sectors. It is due to the fact that the agricultural sector is closely linked to the water and wastewater sectors, the transport system, the chemical sector, and energy. It needs clean water, electricity, transportation, and cleaning or manufacturing chemicals to function properly. Thus, in the event of a disruption in the agricultural sector, difficulties will appear in the above due to the lower demand for its services.
Resiliency related to continuity of operations states the readiness of the sector to work in the event of unforeseen circumstances, cataclysms, or any attack. In this case, the food/agricultural resilience sector includes backup facilities, procedures, and strategic emergency supplies (Keupp, 2020). In other words, there is an operational reserve in the context of supplies, factories, and premises to cover the losses caused by a potential physical attack. First responder safety articulates the use of emergency services to offset the damage caused by the attack. In this regard, in order to minimize disruption, it is necessary to develop training plans and actions to be taken in case of different situations. It will increase staff readiness and thereby reduce damage. Technical requirements are formulated by the necessity in learning centers and elaborating effective strategies.
The next type of threat is cyberattacks, which should be considered in the context of energy infrastructure. Cyberattacks include actions aimed at destroying, stealing data, or interfering with the operation of a selected sector. It is one of the dangerous attacks since it does not require personal presence, and it can be carried out from anywhere in the world. Moreover, the power of a cyberattack is not limited, it all depends on the technological resources and skills of attackers. Any object can become the target, however, it is the energy area that is one of the digitalized ones which frames a threat.
Energy infrastructure is a major part of the economy of most countries in the 21st century. Without the functioning of the energy sector, the US economy cannot perform normally, thus, attacks on this sector can lead to severe consequences. Energy infrastructure belongs to the National Security as it formulates one of the main aspects of the nation’s existence and the population’s life. In the US, energy can be divided into three main fields, namely electricity, oil, and natural gas (Keupp, 2020). Dependence on pipeline and rail links formulates a relation to the transportation system, and there are more than 6,000 power plants in operation in the US today (Keupp, 2020). It is of great strategic national importance for the state and for the population of the country.
One of the critical hazards for the energy sector is a high level of digitalization. As it was mentioned, nowadays, much of the energy infrastructure relies on computers and online services for management and operations. It implies a high risk of cyber attacks that can steal important data or disable installations. Similar to the food/agricultural sector, disruptions in the energy sector will negatively impact interdependencies between critical infrastructure sectors. Primarily, insufficient power generation will lead to disorders in related infrastructures such as food/agriculture or transportation sectors.
Existing resilience related to continuity of operation in the energy sector is framed by increased collaboration between owners, government, and industry to provide a response to the main threat, namely cyber attacks. This includes the development of methodologies and strategies in cybersecurity and the development of a reserve operating stock in the event of an unforeseen situation (Keupp, 2020). Besides, new methods for planning and preparing for emergencies are being developed, and existing ones are being improved.
In this case, minimizing disruption to improve first responder safety is articulated by existing resilience factors. In other words, as already noted, work is underway to develop and improve techniques for responding to an attack, cybersecurity, and reserve stock. Reserve stocks are formulated by the presence of store installations operating more independently of digital technologies. It articulates the ability to continue working, albeit on a smaller scale, in the event of a cyber threat. Moreover, the best cybersecurity methodologies are analyzed, including abroad, to improve existing practices. Technical requirements are constituted by the necessity in personnel reserves, namely IT specialists and software.
The last hypothetical threat to critical infrastructure is the natural destroyer. This threat should be considered in the context of the transport sector, as it will allow initializing the consequences effectively. Natural disaster includes situations of extreme nature and those associated with processes in nature that lead to a disruption in the normal life of a person (Keupp, 2020). Moreover, the consequences of this threat are usually the death of people, the destruction of property and material values, and the devastation of the land. In addition, natural disasters are accompanied by the collapse of critical infrastructure, which has long-term negative consequences.
The transport infrastructure is one of the critical sectors connected to the country’s entire industry. Besides, it includes the relationship to the tourism and defense areas, which articulates its value. This aspect, namely the increased connection with other critical infrastructure sectors, articulates the transport sector’s connection with national security. It is worth noting that in addition to the indirect connection, there is a direct relationship associated with active engagement with the defense and military sectors.
The vulnerability of chosen infrastructure to the hypothetical threat of natural disaster is framed by a high level of destruction and impact on the country’s economy, tourism, military sector, and industry. In other words, if one considers, for example, a volcanic eruption and an earthquake, then highways, railways, airports, and other infrastructure facilities will be destroyed. It will entail huge losses given the time required to establish transport links and interrupted supply chains (Keupp, 2020). Additionally, destroyed transport systems complicate rescue and search operations, which entails an increase in the number of victims. Finally, it prevents the rapid movement of essential objects, for example, in a defensive aspect, which formulates a threat of a national nature.
Consequently, the damage from a hypothetical threat would have a significant negative impact on the dependencies between critical infrastructure sectors. As already indicated, the transport sector is the important link between industry and other sectors. Damage to one railway junction, for example, can lead to millions of losses. It is due to the fact that the railway is used to deliver a large number of different critical products and raw materials (Keupp, 2020). Accordingly, the delay or destruction of these products will lead to significant losses. It is worth noting the negative impact on the defensive ability since many critical objects are also delivered by rail.
Resiliency related to continuity of operations under the emergency includes existing backup options for the supply of critical resources in case of significant damage to transport routes. Moreover, it is formulated by the prompt response and quick elimination of problems that have arisen. In this regard, there are backup routes that can be used to minimize damage, however, not completely eliminate it. Improvement of first responder safety by minimizing disruptions is articulated by developing strategies to improve the actions of operational teams in the event of an emergency situation. It includes training, theory, and practice, accordingly, technical requirements involve qualified training staff and training grounds.
To conclude, three important sectors of critical infrastructure in terms of physical, cyber, and natural threats were analyzed. Critical infrastructure includes objects necessary for the normal functioning of the country’s economy and the lives of the population. In terms of food/agricultural segment and physical attack, it includes training of staff and workers to improve preparedness. In the event of a threat of a cyber attack on the energy system, the main task is to develop and improve cyber security. Finally, in terms of transport infrastructure and threats, natural disassembly, training, personnel, and landfills are essential.
Reference
Keupp, M. M. (2020). The security of critical infrastructures: Risk, resilience and defense. Springer Nature.