Study warns: Internet outage could trigger a major crisis
A massive power outage hit Spain completely, causing the country to be disconnected from the European grid, with parts of France and Portugal also affected.
Preliminary estimates indicate that strong disruptions in electricity flows were the main cause, with the possibility that a cyber attack was behind the incident, as happened previously in Ukraine when similar attacks caused power outages for tens of thousands of households. Investigations are still ongoing to uncover the exact cause.
In light of these developments, a report issued by a research team led by the "Institut für Produktionswirtschaft und Logistik" (Institute of Production Management and Logistics) at "BOKU Wien" (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna) in collaboration with the "Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften" (Austrian Academy of Sciences), warned of a similar scenario that could hit Austria.
Over the course of two years, the "Isidor" project studied the effects of widespread internet outages in Austria. The study concluded that a three-day internet outage could lead to the collapse of vital sectors. While electricity and water may continue to function, the transport, finance, and security sectors would be susceptible to significant or near-total shutdowns. This could result in a loss of access to cash, inability to purchase food and medicine, and an inability to call emergency teams.
Researchers confirmed that an internet outage would trigger a series of crises related to the shortage of vital supplies, which could threaten public order in the country. They emphasized the need for urgent measures, such as connecting independent networks to each other, training institutions on crisis management, and educating the population on how to act in the event of a widespread internet outage.