The United Nations (UN) has alerted the world to critical vulnerabilities arising from solar storms, submarine cable cuts, satellite disruptions, and extreme weather, which can disrupt communication networks and potentially trigger a “digital pandemic”.

Also, the UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO) estimates that 20,000 seafarers are directly exposed to the dangers related to the war in the Middle East.

Specifically, the UN, in a new report, ‘When digital systems fail: The hidden risks of our digital world’, outlined risk scenarios on earth, at sea and in space, analysing the fragility of interconnected digital systems and offering a roadmap for preparedness.

Experts brought together by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and Sciences Po called for coordinated action among countries to improve digital resilience and protect essential services such as healthcare, finance, and emergency response.

ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said: “Resilience must be built into the DNA of the technologies we depend on. This report urges us to consider the systemic nature of risks and rethink how we protect the systems that connect and empower humanity.”

On his part, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR, Kamal Kishore, said: “As our societies become more reliant on digital technologies, disruptions caused by disasters can cascade across systems and borders, triggering far‑reaching and potentially catastrophic failures.

“We must plan, build and maintain digital infrastructure with systemic risk in mind, now and for the future. Digital infrastructure must be resilient infrastructure.”

Indeed, digital technologies have revolutionised how we live, connect and work, yet our growing reliance on these systems has created risks that often go unnoticed.

The report observed that a severe solar storm could disable satellites, disrupt navigation systems and destabilise energy grids, with recovery times measured in months.

It stressed that extreme temperatures could overwhelm data centres, leading to mobile service outages, as well as failures in healthcare systems and financial transactions. In the meantime, earthquakes or other natural hazards can sever vital Internet connections, slowing business operations and leaving entire nations offline for weeks.

The IMO identified risks include missiles, falling debris, shortages of food and water on board, and the possibility of medical emergencies and technical malfunctions.

The maritime agency is working with the shipping industry on contingency planning, including a safe evacuation framework for vessels and crews in the conflict zone.

The evacuation could involve about 800 ships—with an average of 25 crew members per vessel—engaged in international trade, carrying vital energy supplies and commodities.

In a statement yesterday, the IMO noted that all the people on board ships in the Persian Gulf area “are vulnerable to any re-escalation of the conflict.”

Despite some crew changes and repatriations, impacting around 450 seafarers, tens of thousands remain at sea, as the broader fleet in the region could be up to 3,000 vessels.

The organisation, however, advised ships to exercise maximum caution amid the latest situation in the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the United States.

The agency added that naval escorts alone were not a sustainable solution, urging de-escalation and a long-term agreement to ensure seafarers’ well-being and safe navigation.

Since the war started late February, dozens of incidents affecting ships operating in and around the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Hormuz Strait have been reported.