Australians most concerned about electricity failure

Australians are more concerned about the failure of electricity and water services than disruption to transportation or telecommunications, new research from Unisys shows.

More than 1200 people were surveyed by Unisys, with 84% saying a two-day outage of electricity would have a major impact on their lives. In comparison, only 46% said the failure of internet or mobile phone services would be a major 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 said 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. 

Stephen Cartwright, CEO of the NSW Business Chamber, said that industry sectors would place a higher priority on services they see as essential to the running of their businesses.

“Electricity, of course, would be the first priority for any enterprise,” said Cartright. “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.”

“A holistic view of security - threats, vulnerabilities, consequences and countermeasures - is required,” Kendall said. “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.”