Defining Critical Infrastructure for a Global Application

Abstract:A Google search for the phrase "critical infrastructure" turns up 189 million results in little more than a half second: "global critical infrastructure" has 151 million results; and "definition of critical infrastructure" yields 71.5 million results. The list of what industries and sectors fall under the critical infrastructure designation expands as time progresses and technology develops. As the threat of cyberattacks increases and this frontier of terrorism continues to emerge, attacks on critical infrastructure are high on the list of concerns and the need for protective measures imperative. The focus on protecting critical infrastructure does not stop at the borders of individual nation-states as calls for international efforts to protect national critical infrastructures are being made. Without clearly defined boundaries on what constitutes critical infrastructure at a global level, however, international efforts to protect critical infrastructure will be unduly burdensome and overbroad. Before moving toward international efforts for protecting critical infrastructure, the global community must come together to define which critical infrastructures are worth this additional level of protection.