Cyber Defense eMagazine May 2020 Edition

Critical Infrastructure
Nowadays, there is a slight difference between countries and international institutions concerning their
definition of critical infrastructure (CI) and sectors.
European Commission defines is the following: critical infrastructure’ means an asset, system or part
thereof located in Member States which is essential for the maintenance of vital societal functions, health,
safety, security, economic or social well-being of people, and the disruption or destruction of which would
have a significant impact in a Member State as a result of the failure to maintain those functions; 2
UNDRR (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) defines is the following: The primary
physical structures, technical facilities and systems which are socially, economically or operationally
essential to the functioning of a society or community, both in routine circumstances and in the extreme
circumstances of an emergency. 3
NATO defines is the following: Physical or virtual systems and assets under the jurisdiction of a State
that are so vital that their incapacitation or destruction may debilitate a State’s security, economy, public
health or safety, or the environment. 4
The US approach is more comprehensive and inclusive, and it has been particularly evolving since the
attacks of September 11, 2001.
The United States defines is the following: "systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to
the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating
impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of
those matters.” 5
Homeland Security Act of 2002 established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and also
formally introduced the concept of “key resources” “Key resources” are defined as “publicly or privately
controlled resources essential to the minimal operations of the economy and government”
2
Council Directive 2008/114/EC of 8 December 2008 on the identification and designation of European critical infrastructures
and the assessment of the need to improve their protection, Article 2 a, Definition
3
2009 UNISDR Terminology on disaster Risk Reduction, United Nations international Strategy for Disaster Reduction
(UNISDR), Geneva, Switzerland, May 2009
4
Tallinn Manual on International Law on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare, Michael N. Schmitt, March 2013
5
The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act) is an Act of the United States Congress that was signed into law
by U.S. President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001.
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