Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure: A Growing Threat to Global Security

During World War II, the U.S. Army Air Forces launched two attacks on ball bearing factories in Schweinfurt, aiming to disrupt Germany’s ability to produce machinery for war. The belief was that halting production would significantly affect Germany’s capacity to manufacture various war machines.

This approach has a modern parallel in the cybersecurity world. A cyberattack on a single industry can ripple across multiple sectors. For instance, the Colonial Pipeline attack affected American Airlines operations at Charlotte Douglas Airport. Similarly, the Russian NotPetya attack against Ukraine spilled onto the internet, impacting supply chains globally.

At the 2023 S4 Conference, Josh Corman discussed the potential for cascading failures due to cyberattacks. The creation of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s National Critical Functions was driven by the need to coordinate cybersecurity efforts across various critical sectors. Corman highlighted how the healthcare sector depends on several infrastructure sectors, such as water, energy, and transportation, to provide patient care.

The question arises: what if a cyber incident affected multiple segments of the economy at once? The consequences could be devastating.

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