Anxiety of decision, fear of the future, perception of risk and what lies ahead for Critical Infrastructure Protection

Abstract

Risk, decision making and the fear for the future and the relative premises behind them date back to ancient times. Moreover, risk is part of the human life cycle, and throughout history the features behind it have not only characterized its essence and determined its visibility but also its perception, real or otherwise. From the early days of the naval transport of goods to the modern days of critical information infrastructures, theorists and experts have formulated diverse, different and numerous approaches to risk management and acceptability. But it has taken a tragedy like that of 9/11 to really accelerate and focus this process and provide the research field of risk with a quantum leap in knowledge and understanding. Yet despite these efforts one other thing appears to be missing and that is the study of the proper interaction between the human being and those same technologies, processes and standards that are at the heart of many modern critical infrastructures and the services they provide. This short technical note takes a brief look at the evolution of risk perception with the intent to give a human-in-the-loop perspective on what lies ahead for CIP and risk management.