The UN warns of the possibility of a “digital systems failure”

May 5, 2026 World and Security

It is precisely such a scenario that the UN is trying to avoid, calling on member states to take joint action to prevent the cascading consequences of the so-called “digital pandemic.”

The risks are quite real – and have already been observed both on Earth and in space. In particular, in 2012 a powerful solar storm almost missed Earth, which could have led to power grid and communication system outages across an entire continent.

“The general trait is indeed an unintentional failure – and a tendency for cascade spreading with consequences affecting the financial sector, healthcare, transport, energy, and communications. Moreover, this can occur simultaneously,” warned Dorin Bogdan-Martin, head of the International Telecommunication Union.

From solar storms to extreme weather

In 1859, a powerful solar storm – the so-called “Carrington Event” – disrupted telegraph systems worldwide: equipment sparked, and communication was interrupted – this can be considered analogous to the internet outage in the 19th century.

Similar unintentional failures remain a current threat even today, according to a joint report by the International Telecommunication Union and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

However, the risks are no longer limited to cosmic phenomena. Extreme heat, storms, and other climatic excesses are increasingly damaging digital infrastructure – from power grids to data transmission cables.

In conditions where modern societies critically depend on digital technologies, the consequences of such failures can be global, rapid, and significantly more destructive.

Threat from space and on Earth

An additional danger is posed by the rapid growth of space debris volumes, which already threatens satellite launches and can effectively close access to space. This will put navigation, the operation of financial systems, and even weather forecasting at risk, the UN warns.

At the same time, extreme weather events, intensifying due to climate change, are already causing destruction to digital infrastructure and turning other disasters into humanitarian crises.

Chain reaction

Digital failures rarely remain local and, as a rule, spread along the chain. According to the report, up to 89 percent of such failures associated with natural phenomena are caused by secondary effects, rather than the initial event.

“The number of people ultimately affected by such failures may be up to ten times higher than the number of those originally affected,” the authors note.

The Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, Kamal Kishore, emphasized that many of these risks remain unnoticed: “Often, interconnections between systems are underestimated.”

He explained that a failure in one system can quickly lead to a chain reaction. “If the electricity goes out, the power reserve for most telecommunications towers is designed for about nine hours. After that, the connection disappears. And without connection, ATMs do not work, and people lose access to their funds,” he said.

How to prepare

Despite the seriousness of the threats, the report emphasizes: the decision is not to abandon digital technologies, but to be ready for disruptions.

“The time has come to deliberately prepare for critical digital risks,” said Bogdan-Martin.

The authors of the report highlight six priority areas, including improving risk assessment, strengthening international standards, developing cross-sectoral interaction, and increasing society’s resilience to disruptions.

It also emphasizes the inevitability of strengthening global cooperation and a more effective use of early warning systems.

“This report makes the threat very vivid and real. A digital catastrophe is not a question of ‘if’, but a question of ‘when’,” emphasized Kishor.