Media Release
National poll by Unisys underscores the need to protect critical infrastructure services against potential cyber terrorist attacks
SYDNEY, 5 November 2012 – New research by Unisys into the perceived impact of critical infrastructure outages on the Australian public has revealed a higher reliance on basic services such as electricity and water supply and banking financial systems than mobile phone networks, the Internet or transport systems.
The overwhelming majority of more than 1,200 Australians surveyed by Unisys said a two-day power or water outage would have a major impact on their lives, nearly twice as many as those who said a mobile phone network or Internet failure would have a similar impact. Respondents were more than three times more likely to say that a water or power outage would have a major impact on their lives than a public transport or capital city airport disruption.
Unisys experts say the poll results highlight the potential impact if such essential services were to be targeted by cyber terrorism attacks, and that government and commercial organisations need greater cooperation and information sharing as part of holistic cybersecurity strategies.
“Unlike an attack on one physical asset or organisation, an attack on critical infrastructure directly impacts many organisations and individuals, creating a ripple effect through the community, as well as businesses and the Australian economy, potentially with long-term ramifications,” said John Kendall, Security Program Director, Unisys Asia Pacific.
Failure in one area of infrastructure can create outages in others in a domino effect. For example, in March 2009, a power outage in the Sydney city centre forced the closure of both the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the Eastern Distributor toll roads during peak hour.1
The national study, conducted in October by Newspoll on behalf of Unisys, asked Australians how much they would be impacted by a two-day failure of various critical infrastructure.
Percentage of Australian public who say a two-day outage would be a major impact
| Electricity supply in your city/region | 84% |
| Water supply in your city/region | 80% |
| Banking systems such as ATM & EFTPOS | 60% |
| Mobile phone network | 46% |
| Internet | 46% |
| Public transport network | 27% |
| Major thoroughfare such as Sydney Harbour Bridge | 20% |
| Capital City Airports | 17% |
The poll follows Unisys Security Index research conducted in 2011 that found widespread awareness amongst the Australian public as to the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to attacks, with four in 10 Australians rating a broad range of national assets including the Internet, large gatherings of people, vital physical infrastructure such as bridges, railways and power plants, and public transport as being very or extremely vulnerable to a malicious or terrorist attack. Almost half of the respondents (48 percent) regarded airports and airplanes as extremely or very vulnerable.2
“Community awareness of the issues is a key factor in gaining community support for the security measures that are required to secure critical infrastructure,” Mr Kendall said.
“Traditionally, we are used to dealing with unintentional outages of these services, such as those caused by a natural disaster. However, the increased dependence of organisations on their IT systems, and the interconnectedness of those systems, means that malicious cyber attacks aimed at disrupting a whole city, state or nation are a very real threat,” he said.
“This was highlighted in 2003 in the case against the first person to be found guilty of planning for a terrorist attack in Australia included plans to bomb part of the national electricity supply system3,” he said.
The World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report 20124 ranks cyber attacks as the fourth top global risk in terms of likelihood. The report notes that cyber attacks, a massive incident of data fraud or theft, or an incident of massive digital misinformation could all lead to critical systems failure and eventual global governance failure.
While the Unisys survey measured the impact of outages on individual Australians, Stephen Cartwright, CEO of the NSW Business Chamber predicts that industry sectors in an increasingly diversified economy will place a higher priority on which services they believe are essential.
“Electricity, of course, would be the first priority for any enterprise. However following that, priorities would diverge depending on the business. A restaurant or cafe would likely prioritise water; retailers would prioritise banking; employers in the central business district would consider public transport disruptions a major problem; and financial services would likely consider internet and phone access to be high on the list,” said Mr Cartright.
Mr Kendall explained that the lines have blurred between cyber security and critical infrastructure protection as traditional physical protection of facilities has become obsolete.
“A holistic view of security – threats, vulnerabilities, consequences and countermeasures – is required. There are numerous stakeholders who play a role in securing our critical infrastructure – including government, commercial organisations, State and Federal police and more. To better protect our critical infrastructures, these stakeholders must develop a culture of information sharing beyond what exists today. We need to create a broader definition of national security than what we have today,” Mr Kendall said.
Notes:
1 – News.com.au report: “Chaos as blackout hit city’s CBD” – www.news.com.au/top-stories/chaos-as-blackout-hit-citys-cbd/story-e6frfkp9-1225699582321
2 – Unisys Security Index research: May 2011 – http://www.unisyssecurityindex.com/system/resources/uploads/72/original/Unisys%20Security%20Index%20Additional%20Question%202%20terrorist%20attack%20vulnerability.pdf?1337097697
3 – NSW Government “Secure NSW” case study: The conviction of Faheem Khalid Lodhi of terrorism offences in 2003 –
http://www.secure.nsw.gov.au/Legislation/Case-study.aspx
4 – World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2012 – http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalRisks_Report_2012.pdf
About the Research
The research was conducted across Australia by market research firm Newspoll between 5-7 October 2012 using a nationally representative sample of 1,222 respondents aged 18 years and over. All results have been post-weighted to Australian Bureau of Statistics data.
About Unisys
Unisys is a worldwide information technology company. We provide a portfolio of IT services, software, and technology that solves critical problems for clients. We specialise in helping clients secure their operations, increase the efficiency and utilisation of their data centres, enhance support to their end users and constituents, and modernise their enterprise applications. To provide these services and solutions, we bring together offerings and capabilities in outsourcing services, systems integration and consulting services, infrastructure services, maintenance services, and high-end server technology. With approximately 22,500 employees, Unisys serves commercial organisations and government agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.
About Unisys Asia Pacific
In Asia Pacific, Unisys delivers services and solutions through subsidiaries in Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan and through distributors or resellers in other countries in the region. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.au. Follow us on www.twitter.com/UnisysAPAC.
