Water may impair the integrity and availability of information that is stored on analogue and digital data media. Information stored in the memory of IT systems is also at risk. The uncontrolled flow of water into buildings or rooms can be caused by the following, for example:
- Disruptions to the water supply or sewer system
- defects in the heating system
- defects in air conditioning systems connected to a water supply
- defects in sprinkler systems
- water used to extinguish a fire
- sabotage using water, for example by turning on the water taps and blocking the drains.
Regardless of how the water enters a building or room, there is a danger that it will damage the supply systems or IT components or put them completely out of operation (short-circuits, mechanical damage, rust, etc.). Especially if central building supply system equipment (main distributors for the electrical, telephone, or data systems) is installed in rooms in the basement not equipped with automatic water drainage equipment, then water entering these rooms can cause large amounts of damage.
Problems may also be caused by frost. For example, conduits in areas subject to frost can start to leak if water stands still in the case of persistent frost. Existing thermal insulation can also succumb to frost over the course of time.
Example:
- In a server room, a water pipe was routed under the ceiling and then enclosed with plasterboard. When a leak arose in one of the water pipe connections, it was not detected promptly. The water that escaped formed a pool at the lowest point of the plasterboard enclosure first before it escaped from there, causing a short-circuit in a power distributor located beneath it. As a result, both the water and the power supply in the affected part of the building had to be switched off completely until the repair work was finished.
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Copyright by Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (https://www.bsi.bund.de/)