The British Ministry of Defence has admitted that it's preparing to launch cyber attacks against hostile states and terrorists, according to The Daily Telegraph. The Prime Minister himself unveiled the UK's 'cyber security strategy', with a document that says 'Some of the most sophisticated threat to the UK in cyberspace come from other states which seek to conduct espionage with the aim of spying on or compromising our government, military, industrial and economic assets'. 

It was the mention of 'industrial and economic assets' that set me thinking. If a rogue government or a terrorist organisation wanted to damage the UK or any other country, one of the best ways would be through cyber terrorism. It might be less dramatic than a bomb attack, but just think of the chaos and the cost if (for example) there was a 48 shut-down of cash machines, traffic lights, railway signalling systems, mobile phone networks or the power grid.

How well do businesses protect themselves against such contingencies? I hope I'm not tempting fate, but it doesn't sound very far-fetched at all.