Cyber Dependency at a Domestic and International Level

This 2016 literature review offers some insight into how scholars have studied cyber dependencies. The main studies present, in considerable depth, the growing importance of cyber assets in the daily functioning of society. By detailing the differing types of infrastructure dependencies, the scholars affirm the fundamental risks of such dependency in the case of critical infrastructure and the challenges these vulnerabilities present for resilience management. However, in contrast to the gravity of the vulnerability, the research reviewed reveals a lack of comprehensive information and analysis of cyber dependency that might clearly define the implications of it for critical infrastructure resilience. While some scholars provide comprehensive modelling tool applications, they are mainly theoretical or limited to closed environments. There is an absence of practical scenarios and multi-infrastructure analyses. It would appear that scholars will need live and extensive cooperation from the operators of infrastructure and essential services, both nationally and globally, to reach the next level of comprehensive modelling and simulations that can provide insights into cyber dependencies.