Risks of Terrorism to Information Technology and to Critical Interdependent Infrastructures

When the operability of IT-based controls and equipment is affected by acts of terrorism, then the performance of critical interdependent infrastructures such as railroads, electric power grids, or oil and gas pipelines is profoundly affected. Such information technology includes supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, the global positioning system (GPS), and satellites. This paper presents a detailed discussion on the SCADA system and its use by railways. Hierarchical holographic modeling (HHM) and control objectives for information and related technology (CobiT) are introduced and used to identify sources of risk to SCADA systems in the railroad sector.