Title: Extensible threat taxonomy for critical infrastructures

Authors: H.A.M. Luiijf, A.H. Nieuwenhuijs

Addresses: Business Unit Information and Operations, TNO Defence, Security and Safety, P.O. Box 96864, 2509 JG, The Hague, The Netherlands. ' Business Unit Information and Operations, TNO Defence, Security and Safety, P.O. Box 96864, 2509 JG, The Hague, The Netherlands

Abstract: The European Union-sponsored project Vital Infrastructure Threats and Assurance (VITA) has the objective of exploring and showing new paths in Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) R&D. This paper describes one of VITA|s results: the idea and the development of a novel extensible and generic threat taxonomy for Critical Infrastructures (CIs). Over 300 threats have been categorised. The threat taxonomy makes a sharp distinction between threats, threat cause categories (nature, human or both) and human intent. It is shown that activism, sabotage and terror threats should be regarded as an expression of human intent combined with other existing threats. The taxonomy helps to select in a balanced way all the all-hazard threats which may threaten existing CIs.

Keywords: critical infrastructures; CIs; infrastructure protection; threat taxonomy; risk; activism; sabotage; terrorism; human intent; infrastructure threats; infrastructure assurance; terror threats; hazards.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCIS.2008.020159

International Journal of Critical Infrastructures, 2008 Vol.4 No.4, pp.409 - 417

Published online: 03 Sep 2008 *

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