Abstract:
This article presents a methodological approach for the
characterisation of critical national infrastructure (CNI). Despite several
approaches to identifying CNI, there has not been any universally acceptable
way that is agreeable because a country’s CNI priority may differ. CNI enabled
by information and communications technology (ICT) is usually referred to as
critical national information infrastructure (CNII). Thus, the security of CNII
requires a far-reaching approach that is harmonised and agile to mutually
respond to global cyber threats. Without proportionate safeguards, the
increasingly interconnected and interdependent infrastructures can create
vulnerability opportunities that can cause failures with cascading or escalating
effects. Consequently, proper characterisation, categorisation and designation
of CNI are vital to effective CNII protection and resilience. We approached the
study by extensive review, analysis and synthesis of CNI of selected countries
around the globe. Then, we applied a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM)
to show how CNI can be derived, and designated.
