Confidential information could be accessed during down times by unauthorized system users. Power failures happen. Meteorological phenomena from storms to solar flares can wreak havoc with computers. The integrity of information for billions of dollars worth of electronic transactions could be called into question. There are many safeguards in the transfer of information over the Internet.
Large organizations use twin systems for security and system backup.
There is perhaps no safeguard for some events that are completely outside of the control of human beings. Modern cryptography owes its lineage to military communications. Alan Turing's success at cracking the Enigma code was equally important to the Allied's success. A public directory is used to keep part of the encryption code. Netscape is a licensee of RSA algorithm technology for secure transactions on the world wide web.