Review of terrorism patterns have revealed that commercial computer, IT and telecommunications networks are increasingly likely to become a direct or indirect target, a panel of experts has warned.

Nick Robson, a partner at global insurance broker JLT Risk Solutions and an expert in terrorism and political risk, said: "If we look at the history of terrorist activity it is reasonable that it is only a matter of time before attention is refocused on economic targets. It is accordingly reasonable to expect that there is a growing threat to business, though many corporations and institutions do not seem to have identified the nature of this threat and where it will come from."

Speaking to a business audience at JLT's recent Global Communications & Technology Forum in Lugano he said that previous trends in terrorism indicated that it was only a matter of time before terrorists utilised cyber vulnerabilities to support or indeed execute attacks, "and such action could have significant consequences for the communications sector," he said.

Robson added: "The consequences of a cyber attack to, for example, the power industry would cause communications operations to close down for a period of time, expose customers to loss of service, increase liability exposure and ultimately damage reputation for service delivery. Companies need to identify their risk and where possible manage it."