Interdependencies

Effective risk management requires an understanding of the criticality of assets, systems, and networks, as well as the associated dependencies and interdependencies of critical infrastructure.

Growing interdependencies, particularly reliance on information and communications technologies, have increased the potential vulnerabilities to physical and cyber threats and potential consequences resulting from the compromise of underlying systems or networks. The potential impacts increase with these interdependencies and the ability of a diverse set of threats to exploit them to cause harm and disrupt essential services.

New Orleans Stadium City view depicting an interdependent infrastructure skyline including commercial skyscrapers, highways, bridges, automobiles, and electricity.

Interdependencies affect all risk elements.

Threat: Natural hazards such as extreme weather poses a significant risk to critical infrastructure, dependencies and interdependencies emerging from complex cyber capabilities and limitations can also pose a risk. Humans can also negatively impact critical infrastructure interdependencies through accidental, uninformed, or intentional activities to cause harm and disrupt essential services.
Vulnerability: There is an expanded set of vulnerabilities due to interdependencies within an increasingly interconnected infrastructure.
Consequence: Consequences such as accidents, technical failures, and compromise of interdependent systems or networks are greater due to the potential for cascading impacts across multiple critical infrastructure assets, systems and networks.

Critical infrastructure is now increasingly exposed to cyber risks, which stems from growing operational integration of information and communications technologies, such as cloud computing, mobile devices and wireless connectivity, and an adversary focus on exploiting potential cyber vulnerabilities.

Interdependencies and dependencies help us consider second- and third-order effects. The focus on regional partnerships/initiatives is important because of the regionally interdependent nature of many critical infrastructure sectors.