Catastrophic Risk: Further Information

Newrisk Limited is available to advise organisations and governments on catastrophic risk and Newrisk Limited and its principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, have previously provided media commentary, lectures, conference papers and publications on this topic, examples of which are set out below. To return to the overview of Newrisk Limited's catastrophic risk expertise, please click here.

To request Newrisk Limited's assistance in connection with catastrophic risk, or to discuss a tailored package of services, please contact Newrisk Limited directly.

Media Commentary

Newrisk Limited's principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, has provided media commentary on catastrophic risk, including:

• New Year look ahead, The Globalist, Monocle Radio, 1 January 2024. 
• Commentary on global nuclear risk mitigation through scientific meetings,  the Trump/Putin Helsinki meeting dynamics; Syria’s Idlib population under threat of bombing, Novichok nerve agent poisonings in Salisbury, cyber- attacks, Brexit UK/EU relationship,  for Weekend Programme, BBC World Service Radio (UK) on 21 July, 2018;
• Climate Change, United Nations Framework Convention FCCC Discussions on the Adoption of the Paris Agreement and Other World News in Review for BBC World Service Newshour (England) on 12 December 2015;
• Requirement for Internet Monitoring Following Increased Terror Threats in UK for BBC News Channel (England) on 27 February 2015;
• Iraq ISIL, Sunni-Shia Islam, Iran, Base Jumping and Other World News Items for BBC World Service News on 21 June 2014;
• British Participants in ISIL Video for Channel 5 News on 20 June 2014;
• ISIL Advances in Iraq and Threats to the UK for Good Morning Britain on 13 June 2014;
• Soma Mine Explosion for ITV Good Morning Britain on 15 May 2014;
• Soma Mine Explosion: Turkey causation and rescue for Sky News on 14 May 2014;
• 'The Plane that Vanished' panel interview by Donal MacIntyre on MAL MH370 plane disappearance and causation for Channel 5 on 14 March 2014;
• MAS Plane Disappearance for ITV Daybreak, Channel 5 News and ITV News on 10 March 2014;
• US Threatens Punishment Aerial Bombardment on Syria Following Chemical Weapons Attack for Channel 5 News on 26 August 2013 - available online;
• NSA Intelligence Leak and GCHQ Data Surveillance for ITV Daybreak on 10 June 2013;
• Catastrophic Risk Cyber Security Press Briefing for the Institution of Technology and Engineering at the Wellcome Trust on 29 April 2013;
• 3 British Muslims convicted of disrupted 2011 backpack suicide bomb plot for ITV News on 22 February 2013;
• North Korea's nuclear test 7 kiloton yield for ITV News on 12 February 2013;
• Al Aminas gas site and expansion of terror threat to region and Western countries for ITV News on 21 January 2013;
• Al Aminas gas site, terrorist mass hostage taking (including British hostages) for Sky News on 16 and 17 January 2013 and ITV News on 17 and 18 January 2013;
• MoD Cyber Report, House of Commons Defence Committee for ITV News on 9 January 2013;
• Public Concern over End of the World Belief linked to Mayan Calendar for ITV News on 21 December 2012;
• Terror bomb plots on New York's financial district & terrorist recruitment for attack on the US President for ITV on 18 October 2012;
• Camp Bastion baby born to Gunner soldier for ITV News on 19 September 2012;
• Taliban attack Camp Bastion & Prince Harry's safety for ITV and Channel 5 News on 17 September 2012;
• Underpants bomb plot in Yemen foiled for Sky News and Channel 5 News on 8 May 2012;
• Missile Batteries on Residential Tall Building close to Olympic Park for Sky News and Al Jazeera (UK) on 29 April 2012;
• Pending Decision on Abu Hamza Extradition (the law and catastrophic risks from terrorism) for Sky News on 10 April 2012.

Lectures, Conferences and Workshops

Newrisk Limited and its principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, have provided lectures, conference papers and workshops on catastrophic risk, including:

• Securing Europe’s Supply Chain – Energy, Nuclear War, Quantum, at Pulse Conferences 7th Annual 360 CSO, Berlin 6-8 December 2023. 
  
  
• Singapore 2023 New Cyber-Quantum - Geopolitical Risk Update, Keynote, at Pulse CISO 360 Asia & Oceania Conference, Singapore, 26-27 September 2023.
  
  
• Cyber Security of Critical Infrastructure – Nuclear Power Plants, Transport, Smart Cities, Water, 6G Transformation, at Pulse Global 7th CISO 360 Congress, Barcelona, 5-7 July 2023.
  
  
• How Close are we to the Brink, Panel Discussions, at The Resilient and Renewable Planet (R2P) Conference 2023, EIS and Imperial College, London April 17-19 2023
  
  
• Looking Ahead: Black Sky Resilience and Strategic Risk Policy 2023, at The Resilient and Renewable Planet (R2P) Conference 2023, EIS and Imperial College, London April 17-19 2023
  
  
• Round Table Discussion: ‘Getting Real’, Planning for a Robust, Resilient, Greener Future at The Resilient and Renewable Planet (R2P) Conference 2023, EIS and Imperial College, London April 17-19 2023
  
  
• Catastrophic Risk- An Exciting Challenge, Keynote Address to LMA/LIIBA U35s Claims Group Conference, The Future of Claims, in partnership with the IACP,  Lloyds Old Library (UK), on 8 June, 2018;
  
  
• ‘Live’ Response Exercise Shamoon Version X – What is next?, Irene Corpuz and Dr Sally Leivesley for CISO 360 Middle East Congress, for Pulse Conferences, on 24 April 2018 in Dubai (UAE) : "New threats to technology in the region can be reduced by innovative team thinking and effective response planning within companies and government departments. This ‘live’ group scenario exercise draws on 2018 public information on the Spectre threat to hardware."
  
  
• Breakfast Briefing – Emerging Risks and Opportunities Training by Robert Shaw and Dr Sally Leivesley , for CISO 360 Middle East Congress, for Pulse Conferences, on 24 April 2018 in Dubai (UAE);
  
  
• Panel: IoT cybersecurity with energy and renewables, Led by Dr Sally Leivesley and Ray Stanton for CISO 360 Middle East Congress, for Pulse Conferences, on 23 April 2018 in Dubai (UAE);
  
  
• Exercise Cyber Attack, Emerging Cyber Threats, Regional Overview' for  CISO Middle East Ninth Annual Conference, Dubai, March 27-29, 2017 on March 27;

• 'Urban Terror Targets: Optimising Cyber Security for Survival' for CISO Middle East Ninth Annual Conference, Dubai, March 27-29, 2017 on March 28;
  
  

• 'Optimising Intelligent Systems for Competitive Advantage: Discussions on Singapore and an International Case Study of Systems Failures in Flight MH370'' - Key Note Lecture to the Chief Information Security Officers Conference in Singapore in November 2014;
  
  
• 'Strategic Threats in Cyber Space: Was MH370 the First Cyber Hijack?' - Key Note Lecture to the International Conference on Cloud Security and Management at the University of Reading (England) in October 2014;
  
  
• 'Novel Approaches to Cyber Defence: Strategic Analysis and Assessments in the Operating Environment, Case Study of Distributed Energy Systems Sustainability' - Presentation and Panel Participation at the SAS-106 Symposium on 'Analysis Support to Decision Making in Cyber Defence', NATO Systems Analysis Studies Panel in Tallinn (Estonia) in June 2014;
  
  
• 'Cyber Hijack and other Emerging Threats: Strategies for Sustainability' - Key Note Lecture to the CEP (Corporate Executive Program) in Barcelona (Spain) in May 2014;
  
  
• 'Snapshot of Regional Risks and Sustainability- Incorporating Exercise Cyber-Defence' - Lecture to MIS Chief Information Security Officer Middle East 6th Annual Summit and Roundtable in Dubai (UAE) in February 2014;
  
  
• ‘London in 2012- Security Lessons and Future Threats’, ISC2 Secure Workshop in London (England) in March 2013. Training modules included: Training modules: Lessons from London in 2012; Lessons for Securing Systems; Skills for Monitoring the Cyber Threat Landscape; Security Audits for Cloud; Media Communications Skills and Role Plays; Skills Development;
  
  
• 'Water and CBRNE/Cyber Terrorism: Waterborne threats and sustainability of cities including unusual secondary and tertiary water contamination lessons from Fukushima' - Presentation to the 'Role of Science in the Third Millenium, International Seminar on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies', 45th Session in Erice (Italy) in August 2012.
  
  
• 'Fukushima - Lessons Learned: Limiting the Consequences, Dealing with Loss of Containment' - workshop exercise to the Register of Security Engineers and Specialists, Continuing Professional Development Day at the Transport Research Laboratory in Berkshire (UK) in October 2011;
  
  
• 'Cyber Infrastructure and Physical Security: Case Studies London in 2012 and Bulk Cargo; Managing Catastrophic Risk in Security Architecture: Insider Threats, Integration of Intelligence and Terror Threats' - Keynote Paper to the MIS 2nd Annual Information and Communications Technologies Security Africa Conference in Accra (Ghana) in September 2011;
  
  
• 'Cloud Catastrophic Risk and Reputation Assurance for CISOs: Risk Insights' - Paper to the Cloud Security Forum in Rome (Italy) in June 2011;
  
  
• 'Strategic Approaches to Catastrophic Risk of Fraud and Corruption: New Lessons from London in 2012 and Other Case Studies including Wikileaks - Presentation to the 5th Annual Fraud and Corruption Summit in Copenhagen (Denmark) in April 2011;
  
  
• 'Catastrophic Risk Briefing' - Presentation to the High Premium Group Annual Conference in London (England) in April 2011;
  
  
• 'Reputation, Governance and Audit: Managing Catastrophic Risk from Terrorism or Accidents: London in 2012 and the BP Gulf Oil Spill' - Paper to the MIS Middle East Fraud and Corruption Summit in Dubai (UAE) in January 2011;
  
  
• 'ICT Catastrophic Risk Management: Critical Infrastructure Protection and Case Studies London in 2012 and Maritime Terrorism' - Keynote Paper to the 3rd Annual Chief Information Security Office Middle East Summit and Roundtable in Dubai (UAE) in January-February 2011;
  
  
• Living with Catastrophic Risk: Security Issues for BP and London in 2012' - Paper to the ASIS Autumn Chapter Meeting in London (England) in September 2010;
  
  
• 'Nuclear Terrorism: Criticalities in Harmonising Catastrophic Risk Management' - Paper to the Safety and Security of Energy Infrastructures in a Comparative View in Brussels (Belgium) in November 2005.
  

Publications

Newrisk Limited's principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, has written papers on catastrophic risk events and theory, including:

• Formal risk assessments and nuclear arms control: exploring the value of modern methodologies, Vicki Bier, Robert J. Budnitz, Olli Heinonen, Richard C. Lanza, Ronald F. Lehman, Sally Leivesley, Charles F. McMillan, George H. Miller, Anita Nilsson, John Organek, Robert N. Schock, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, on May 13, 2024;
  
  
• 'Catastrophic Risk: A Good Reason for Partnerships' in the CPS High Tech Newsletter, January 2006;
  
  
• 'Installing the Chaos Theory' in the Chartered Insurance Institute Journal, February 1997, pages 23-24;
  
  
• 'Terrorism PLC: Funding Spectaculars and Catastrophic Risk in Law' in the Journal of Money Laundering Control, volume 9(2) 2006, pages 141-156: discussing anticipatory risk as a fundamental pillar for a framework of international law in relation to global terrorism, using economic terrorism and global terrorist transactions as case studies to demonstrate assymetric financial crime and the vulnerabilities of financial districts, economies and populations.
  
  
• 'Limitations of Risk Assessment Methodologies for Fire in Transport Tunnel Systems' - written with Dr A.R. Green, 2001, AOFST 5, Fire Safety Science Digital Archive: This paper outlines how traditional risk methods can be improved by a new methodology for measuring risk based on the inherent risk potential of a system. This new method has the capacity to incorporate engineering and human factors and calculates the synergy of outcomes when the design is moved into the operational phase within the real risk environment.
  
  

Newrisk Limited's principal adviser, Dr Leivesley, has also been cited in various publications on catastrophic risk issues, including:

• 'Is missing Malaysian jet the world’s first CYBER HIJACK? Chilling new theory claims hackers could use a mobile phone to take over the controls' by Wills Robinson, Daily Mail Online, 16 March 2014: "Dr Leivesley, who now prepares businesses and governments for potential terrorist attacks, told the Sunday Express: 'There appears to be an element of planning from someone with a very sophisticated systems engineering understanding. This is a very early version of what I would call a smart plane, a fly-by-wire aircraft controlled by electronic signals. She added that once the plane is air-side, you can insert a set of commands and codes which can begin a new set of processes."
  
  
• ''World's First Cyber Hijack: Was Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight Hacked with Mobile Phone' by James Fielding and Stuart Winter in the Sunday Express, 16 March 2014: "British anti-terror expert Dr Sally Leivesley said last night: “It might well be the world’s first cyber hijack."
  
  
• 'Outsourced IT Offers Hackers Access to Key Control Systems' by Mark Hennessy in Irish Times, 2 May 2013, discussing cyber security: "The North Koreans have been blamed for interrupting websites run in South Korea by banks, newspapers and TV companies in “a show and tell” warning about what they are capable of during a conflict, warns Sally Leivesley of Newrisk. The South Koreans have taken the warning seriously, upgrading security at their nuclear plants – including disabling every USB port in every computer at the plants lest they be used to breach defences."
  
  

To request Newrisk Limited's assistance in connection with a catastrophic risk concern, or to discuss a tailored package of services, please contact Newrisk Limited directly.