On the Importance of Protecting Critical Infrastructure related Engineering Descriptor Information (CIEDI)
ABSTRACT
The international security situation has lead to increased concern regarding malicious attacks against critical infrastructure (CI). CI encompasses a number of essential services some of which are water, electricity, and gas supply. For all such service-based assets there exists engineering information that includes architectural blueprints, structural composition data, and layout schema of key facilities. Such information exists within electronic systems and on paper as well. This paper argues that CIEDI must be recognized as part of the overall national CI as access to such information may assist attack on the CI itself. This paper proposes a definition of CIEDI and suggest CIEDI be addressed as part of the overall organizational security lifecycle with emphasis on maintaining uniform standards across physical and cyber media.
AUTHORS
Department of Computing and Information Systems,University of Melbourne,
Australia
Atif Ahmad is an information security researcher and independent security consultant based at the Department of Information Systems, University of Melbourne. His research interests are in asymmetric warfare and information security risk assessments especially where knowledge artefacts are concerned. In previous years Atif has worked as a consultant for Pinkerton and WorleyParsons where he applied his expertise to Internet corporations and critical infrastructure installations. Atif is a Board Certified Protection Professional (CPP) with the American Society for Industrial Security and holds an adjunct position at the Security Research Institute at Edith Cowan University.
Security Risk Management Unit, Worley
Australia
Hans Fah is former member of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment and has been an adviser to the private sector in the disciplines of Crisis, Emergency and Security Risk Management for 13 years. Hans' experience ranges from security consulting to resource extraction operations in emerging or troubled nations, maritime security, blast mitigation and the implementation of anti terrorism programs in the Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Iraq through to the development of complex Critical Infrastructure Protection methodologies and tools. Hans is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) with ASIS International of which he is the Victorian State Secretary, holds a diploma in security risk management and is a full member of the Australian Institute for Professional Intelligence Officers.
School of Information Systems, Deakin University,
Australia
Anthonie Ruighaver is an Honorary Fellow at Deakin University in the School of Information Systems in the Faculty of Business and Law. He is a regular contributor to the Information Security Research Group. Previously he was the head of the Computer Security and Forensics Group based at the University of Melbourne. He was the coordinator of an E-crime course conducted as part of a collaboration between Melbourne University and Victoria Police. Dr. Ruighaver's primary interests are in Security Governance and Computer Forensics.
Department of Information Systems, University of Melbourne
Wee Teck Teo is a tutor for the Department of Information Systems at the University of Melbourne. He graduated last year with a B. Information Systems and is currently a research assistant with the department’s Computer Security and Forensics Group.
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Keywords
Journal of Information Warfare
The definitive publication for the best and latest research and analysis on information warfare, information operations, and cyber crime. Available in traditional hard copy or online.
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