Page 113 - Cyber Terrorism and Extremism as Threat to Critical Infrastructure Protection

ROBERT MIKAC, KREŠIMIR MAMIĆ, IVA ŽUTIĆ: CYBERTERRORISM THREATS TO CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: COORDINATION AND
COOPERATION FROM BRUSSELS TO SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE AND BACK

However, why is terrorism one of the most significant security threats to the functioning of
critical infrastructure? Because of its background, unpredictability and unexpectedness. Be-
cause it represents an act which is politically inspired, an act which involves violence or the
threat of violence, and an act which has a strong psychological impact, as well as because of
the consequences that arise. These consequences (manifested in human suffering, property
damage, financial loss and damaged reputation) are likely to be of a lesser degree than a
devastating natural or technical and technological event. Still, they are far more worrying for
politicians and decision-makers, because they indicate vulnerability to human attack, the pos-
sibility of critical infrastructure being threatened by someone from the outside, and the way in
which national systems of particular interest were not sufficiently protected. All of the above
concerns the subjective side of looking at and dealing with security risks and threats. We, as
authors, academically and professionally dealing with various security fields, are verifiably
aware that countries are investing far more diverse resources in counter-terrorism, which is
most likely to cause far fewer consequences than more apparent risks (such as natural or
technical-technological) which, if materialized, would cause far-reaching consequences. We
have stated this to emphasize the position that not only are we aware of the threat of terrorism,
but also that its risks should not be exaggerated.

These considerations lead us to the research problem – which we want to observe from different
dimensions – which is, how much is critical infrastructure (honestly) at risk of cyberterrorism
1
in the European Union, South-Eastern Europe and the Republic of Croatia? We will examine
the above by considering the types of cyber threats against critical infrastructure, the proportion
of cyberterrorism within the entire spectrum of threats, and how many such attacks have been
attempted and implemented against critical infrastructure. The subject of the research we wish
to analyze is set out to consider public policies and activities to protect critical infrastructure
from terrorist threats at the level of the European Union, South-Eastern Europe and the Repub-
lic of Croatia. The research objective is to investigate the extent to which the official policies
of the entities under review in the area of protection of critical infrastructure from terrorist
threats are operational in implementation. The reason behind this is the fact that protection of
critical infrastructure is unenforceable without proactive national and international coordination
mechanisms, as well as inter-organizational cooperation within counter-terrorism processes.
With regard to the research objective, it should be noted that the strategies, directives and laws
inevitably state the necessity and exigency of protecting critical infrastructure from threats of
terrorism. Therefore, the main research question of this paper is: How much are public policies
of protection of critical infrastructure from (cyber)terrorism operationalized in practice? The
purpose of this research is to provide, through the results of the study, recommendations con-
cerning stronger cooperation and coordination in this area.

This research is a qualitative study that seeks to answer the problem, subject and objectives of
the research, and the research question. We have opted for qualitative research because it aims
to provide a more in-depth insight into the subject, to achieve a holistic approach to the research,
and to explain the conclusions we have reached. The methodological framework of this research
is composed of system theory and the following research methods: generalization, the deductive
method, the inductive method, the analysis method, and the synthesis method. System theory is
used in interdisciplinary research to study the relations and relationships of the system parts and
1 We will explain the role of the Union later. The Republic of Croatia is used as a link between the Union and
South-Eastern Europe, as it belongs to both entities (politically it is an integral part of the Union and geo-
graphically it is located in the region of South-Eastern Europe, where it has a shared history, numerous links
and significant collaboration in many areas with certain countries).

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