A systempunkt ("system point") is a type of critical, vulnerable point in a system. The system may be a physical system (such as computer network) but the term is usually used when referring to a

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, an ...

(e. g., the French steel market, international flax market, etc.) A systempunkt is a point in such a system vulnerable to disruption by many small interactions, such that a swarm of disruptions and attacks will cascade through the system and collapse it, possibly resulting in financial loss, supply shortages, or destabilization.

Examples

A systempunkt may be vulnerable to operational failure, but it is not vulnerable because of its own operation or location. Rather, its operation interacts through communication, exchange or movement of objects and these disrupted dependencies of flows – of data or goods – will be the failure when it is no longer operating. The effects on the network are more significant than those on the specific object. Computer servers that fail from a

Denial of service attack In computing, a denial-of-service attack (DoS attack) is a cyber-attack in which the perpetrator seeks to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users by temporarily or indefinitely disrupting services of a host connect ...

may no longer support the application or user base that depends on them; this is an example of an attack on a systempunkt. A Systempunkt attack can be related to simple

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

. But has a more grandiose objective: collapse of a dependent network or state social order. A theoretical example might be if coal miners of a country went out on

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

. This could cause a coal shortage which, cascading through the economy, could force a partial collapse, ultimately forcing desired major social changes.

Etymology

The term was coined by John Robb. The etymology is modern and is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsschwerpunkt Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air s ...

' and the English language word '

system A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment (systems), environment, is described by its boundaries, ...

'. The German term from

Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air su ...

warfare's

schwerpunkt Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air s ...

literally means 'heavy point' and is often translated as centre of gravity or focal point. It is used here in relation to its military context of use, in which it describes the focal point of an attack against an enemy line, usually at some vulnerable part of that line, which will lead to the collapse in the enemy line of defense. But whereas a

focuses on a single object of attack, the Systempunkt is representative of network effects. A link may fail, not necessarily the weakest, but the effects on the network may continue to cascade, as an

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...

effect that spreads throughout the system. Repercussions may be continuous, and exhibit repeating failures that have aftershocks for the whole network. Descriptively, systempunkt has some similarities to

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who, after the war, became a successful memoirist. An early pioneer and advocate of the " blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in t ...

's adage "Nicht kleckern, klotzen!" ("Don't fiddle, smash!") though it reverses the intent and effect and intends to actualize cascading events through domino type dependencies. In practice, "Fiddle ith the systempunktuntil it he systemsmashes".

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , url=http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrillas/2004/12/the_systempunkt.html , title=The Systempunkt , author=John Robb , authorlink=John Robb (author) , date=December 19, 2004 , work=Global Guerrillas , accessdate=August 22, 2016 {{cite web , url=https://c4ss.org/content/5845 , title=Enforcement is the State's Systempunkt , author=Kevin Carson , date=January 18, 2011 , publisher=Center for a Stateless Society , accessdate=August 22, 2016

External links

A US Phone Systempunkt
another theoretical systempunkt attack scenario Hacking (computer security) Economic warfare Strategy