The pandemic makes Switzerland, like other states, more exposed to cyberattacks, notably due to telework, according to experts. Among companies, SMEs are the least prepared.
Cybercrime is more and more an economic branch and many companies were not ready to face the crisis, said Tuesday Uwe Kissmann to the correspondents accredited to the UN in Geneva. In late January alone, 16,000 new sites linked to the coronavirus were registered worldwide, adds the chairman of the cybersecurity commission of ICTswitzerland, the umbrella of digital economy companies.
Main problem
Some operate in groups and are malicious, he notes. With the headquarters of international organizations and pharmaceutical companies, Switzerland is under threat. But no more than other states because cybercrime does not discriminate, says for his part the head of cybersecurity at ICTswitzerland Raphael Reischuk.
“Switzerland is generally in a better position than other countries, but it still has assets to protect and the situation is obviously worse,” he said. “It is more of a target than before”, but like all the other countries.
The main problem is that some employees use their own computer, which is often less well protected than the one assigned by their company. Similarly, vigilance seems to relax at home. “People tend to feel good and safe,” says Raphael Reischuk.
Millions of specialists requested
Confinement also makes you more receptive to false social messages, adds Uwe Kissmann. More broadly, citizens are still under-educated on the challenges linked to new technologies.
Faced with the pandemic, many companies have had to accelerate digitization and have preferred “speed” to guarantee the continuity of their activities rather than security when adapting to restrictions.
Among them, SMEs are the most threatened because they have invested less on this issue. Another problem, some companies have not foreseen the scenario where their technology specialists should also work remotely.
Relatively low costs
At the moment, it is impossible to assess the losses from such pandemic-related cyberattacks, or to anticipate the effects on investment in terms of cybersecurity, says Uwe Kissmann. But the costs will be low compared to the impact of the economic slowdown, adds Raphael Reischuk.
At the same time, the crisis could also bring new possibilities to the data protection market. Cybersecurity is already the fastest growing component in new technologies and this will continue, says Uwe Kissmann.
New specialists will also be needed when up to two million are already missing for Western countries, the president explains. (ats / nxp)
Created: 05.05.2020, 6:47 p.m.
–
