Majority believes critical infrastructure is likely to fail

The majority of the population in Germany expects critical infrastructure to fail for several days in the coming years. This is the result of a representative forsa survey commissioned by TÜV NORD. Concerns about disruptions to the energy, water and healthcare supply are particularly high.

59 per cent of those surveyed consider a multi-day outage of critical infrastructure to be somewhat or very likely in the next five years. In particular, respondents fear failures in the drinking water and wastewater supply as well as the energy supply. Over 80 per cent see this as having an extremely or very severe impact on their everyday lives. Consumers also believe that disruptions to food supplies (63 per cent), digital infrastructure (57 per cent) and healthcare (55 per cent) would have significant consequences.

The reason for this scepticism is the respondents' lack of confidence in the preparation of companies and critical infrastructure institutions for crisis situations. Only around a quarter of respondents (26 per cent) stated that they had great or very great confidence in crisis preparation. In contrast, 73 per cent expressed little or no confidence. At the same time, consumers formulate clear requirements: 97 per cent expect responsibilities to be clearly defined in the event of a crisis and 95 per cent demand transparent and open communication in the event of an emergency. In addition, large majorities are in favour of companies taking preventative measures and implementing security standards that go beyond the minimum legal requirements and are based on recognised best practices.

Independent audits create trust

Independent audits of security measures enjoy particularly high levels of trust: 57 per cent of respondents are most likely to trust testing and certification organisations such as TÜV NORD to objectively assess the security of critical infrastructures. Companies themselves (20 per cent) or government bodies (13 per cent) are trusted much less often with these tasks. Three quarters of respondents see the greatest advantage of independent audits in identifying vulnerabilities at an early stage. Other frequently cited advantages are an objective assessment of the security situation (63 per cent) and greater trust compared to companies' own statements (61 per cent).

The high level of trust in independent testing and certification organisations underlines the central role that external expertise plays in securing critical infrastructures. The expectations and requirements of society are also reflected in the daily work of TÜV NORD. "We support operators of critical infrastructures with tests and certifications that ensure a uniformly high level of safety - from plant safety and emergency plans to minimising downtimes. At the same time, we combine technical security with social responsibility, because the stability of critical infrastructures, including defence-related facilities, forms the basis for the protection of our democratic values and an open, free society," says Dr Dirk Stenkamp, CEO TÜV NORD GROUP.