Policy Makers' Future Emergency Planning: Abu Dhabi's Managers' Perceptions of Potential Cyberdisasters

The emergence of super cyberweapons, designed to attack critical infrastructure, poses a growing threat to cities and nation-states. Although there is abundant literature on risk perception of computer malware and its contribution to effective planning, little is known about the perceived risk of potential cyberdisasters for policy makers and city managers. The purposes of this phenomenological study were to explore senior policy makers' and managers' assessment and perceived risk of cyberdisasters in one city in the Gulf of Arabia, and to investigate how these perceptions could help emergency planners. The study's theoretical framework was Tversky and Kahneman's risk perception theory. Data were collected through purposeful sampling and face-to-face, in-depth interviews of 9 managers in the fields of emergency management and information technology security. Interviews were inductively and deductively coded, categorized, and analyzed thematically. Findings showed that policy makers and managers appear to be concerned about the potential for cyberdisasters, manifested in a "be prepared" policy. Implementation of this policy at the operational level consisted of a series of procedures related to creating a more resilient system. At the operational, emergency planner level, however, there is uneven awareness of potential risks, and a lack of proactive planning. Implications for positive social change include informing emergency planners about the policy makers' and managers' perceptions of cyber disaster risk. Educating emergency planners may lead to more proactive strategies among policy makers in anticipating cyberattacks, to an increased awareness of the risks, and greater inter-agency cooperation and collaboration.