Information Security Journal: A Global Perspective, 18:1–7, 2009
The Cyber Threat to National Critical
Infrastructures: Beyond Theory
Kenneth Geers
Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)
NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE)
ABSTRACT
Adversary threats to critical infrastructures have always existed during times of conflict,
but threat scenarios now include peacetime attacks from anonymous computer hackers.
Current events, including examples from Israel and Estonia, prove that a certain level of
real-world disorder can be achieved from hostile data packets alone. The astonishing
achievements of cyber crime and cyber espionage – to which law enforcement and
counterintelligence have found little answer – hint that more serious cyber attacks on
critical infrastructures are only a matter of time. Still, national security planners should
address all threats with method and objectivity. As dependence on IT and the Internet
grow, governments should make proportional investments in network security, incident
response, technical training, and international collaboration.
NATIONAL SECURITY IN THE INTERNET ERA
In 1948, international relations theorist, Hans Morgenthau (1904–1980) theorized that
national security depends on the integrity of a nation’s borders and its institutions.
1
In
2009, the most certain way to threaten the security of a nation-state remains via physical,
military invasion, or terrorist attack. However, as more critical national infrastructures are
computerized and connected to the Internet, the fear is growing of national security threats
that emanate solely from computer network attacks.
The mission of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is to “protect and defend the
United States.” Currently, the FBI’s three top priorities are preventing terrorist attacks,
foreign intelligence operations, and high-technology crimes including cyber attacks.
2
The
urgency with which the FBI views the threat from cyberspace should no longer be
1
Morgenthau, H. J. (1960). Politics among nations: The struggle for power and peace, 3rd Edition.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
2
FBI website. About us – quick facts. http://www.fbi.gov/quickfacts.htm
