The Problem of Cyber Attacks on the Critical Infrastructure of the State in the Energy Sector. The Case of Turkey

Abstract

The cognitive aim of this paper is to analyze the problem of cyber attacks on the critical infrastructure of the state in the energy sector. In this context, Turkey is presented as a case study. This state acts as a “transport corridor” for hydrocarbons and therefore has a strong position on the international market of energy resources. Thus, the cyber attacks on its critical infrastructure have serious consequences not only for the development of this state and its security, but also for the geopolitical system in the Near East and the distribution of powers in the aforementioned international market of hydrocarbons. The following research assumptions are set for the need of the undertaken problem. Firstly, cyberspace poses a potential source of threats for the security of the state. It happens due to the fact that it is a kind of “space” which “escapes” from the control of state security authorities, which increases the probability of cyber attacks on the critical infrastructure of the state, etc. Secondly, in the conditions of cyberspace there is a change in the significance of the components of power in the international relations. The increase in the scale and the number of cyber attacks confirms the fact that nowadays the ability to protect effectively against the attacks in cyberspace and highly developed information technology indicates the position of the state and its possibility to influence the international system. Thirdly, the term “security” is broadened in a subjective and objective manner due to the process of globalisation and the withdrawal from perceiving the security from the perspective of the military threats as it was during the Cold War. Currently, security refers to lots of areas of the social life and the sources of its threats are of political, economic, military, social, ecological, demographical and energetic character. Thus, the energy security has become one of the autonomous dimensions in the structure of the largely perceived security.