OECD outlines cyber-disaster scenarios
A ‘catastrophic’ coordinated attack on critical IT infrastructure could leave Britain in chaos, according to a report by the organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The study found that a well planned strike could create a “perfect storm” with “catastrophic” consequences for the world economy with the OECD ranking its implications on a par with a pandemic or collapse of the world financial system.
In response the OECD is urging cyber security policies to be given greater significance, specifically in regard to contingency plans for the recovery of compromised systems.
Despite acknowledging that a single “event” was unlikely to compromise global security the report warned that simultaneous attacks on multiple systems posed a far graver threat. These would take the form either of multiple cyber attacks or a cyber attack in concert with a conventional disaster or attack.
Amongst the risk factors identified by the researchers was a cyber war, a massive solar flare ejected from the sun which could knock out electronics and an “unknown fundamental flaw” in the design of the internet.
Policy makers were also warned that cyber attacks can be expected in nearly all future wars and skirmishes.