Infrastructure Protection

CYBER-ATTACK IN AUSTRALIA.
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1. Do you believe that the nightmare scenario of a foreign adversary shutting down the power, turning off banking systems or physically damaging crucial infrastructure will happen to Australia? Give reasons for your opinion.
Australian systems are interconnected (Schiller, 2010, 6). A SCADA runs the systems. Normally SCADA do not have cybersecurity. The systems connect to the internet and the messages of the system are not accurate. Hence it is very difficult to determine whether the person sending a command is legit, or a hacker is trying to get into the system (Zetter, 2016, 14). This makes it easier for an outsider to get into the system without being noticed. Therefore a hacker would easily get in and manipulate all the activities and damages the crucial infrastructure in the system. The above reasons, therefore, validate the possibility of a cyber-attack happening in Australia.
2. If such an event occurred and resulted in the loss of civilian life, is this a red line that would justify military retaliation or still within the limits of a diplomatic option?
In case a Cyber-attack occurs in Australia, which would lead to shutting down of power, the country would face the lack of electricity, which is one of the worst events that should never occur (Harrop & Matteson, 2015, 149). It would affect almost all activities in a country. Also, it would affect the transport system; this would then lead to a halt in food distribution, water distribution and also would affect the distribution of emergency treatment.

Therefore, if the attack would happen, and the problem would not be solved immediately, then civil disturbances are likely to rise, and this would result into the loss of lives.
3. What are some of the main hindrances to securing SCADA systems?
Schiller (2010) advocates that in most cases, SCADA systems lack cybersecurity. These systems are not easy to secure; since they are always not easy to change old forms just because of being afraid of risks that would cause instability. Overcoming this challenge, requires observing the configuration that would ensure the new adjustments to the system would guarantee total security. Hence the SCADA would be secured.
ReferencesHarrop, W. and Matteson, A., 2015. Cyber resilience: A review of critical national infrastructure and cyber-security protection measures applied in the UK and USA. In Current and Emerging Trends in Cyber Operations (pp. 149-166). Palgrave Macmillan, London. (https://www.thalesgroup.com/sites/default/files/asset/document/thales-critical-national-infrastructure-the-threat-landscape.pdf)
Zetter, K., 2016. Inside the cunning, unprecedented hack of Ukraine’s power grid. Wired. (https://www.wired.com/2016/03/inside-cunning-unprecedented-hack-ukraines-power-grid/)
Schiller, J., 2010. Cyber attacks & protection: civilization depends on Internet & email. CreateSpace. (http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/3780304.htm)