The UK air-traffic control incident that triggered the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights earlier this year was the result of a ‘one in 15 million event’ which caused systems to malfunction. While the incident was ultimately found to not be the result of a malicious cyber attack, it did provide a glimpse into the large-scale disruption that can occur when critical national infrastructure (CNI) fails.
The 2023 National Risk Register identified the chance of a cyber attack on CNI as between 5-25 percent, making this one of the most serious risks facing the UK today. A cyber attack, depending on its severity, could result in significant economic losses, or in the most serious cases, fatalities. What is the price we are prepared to pay to secure critical national infrastructure?
