The same warning comes again and again: Switzerland isn’t taking cybersecurity seriously enough. In a ranking by the International Telecommunication Union, the Swiss Confederation is ranked 42nd, far behind all neighbouring countries. Yet according to another ranking, Switzerland is the most innovative country of all.
Nicolas Mayencourt, SCSD programme manager and CEO of Dreamlab, points out that “If we don't move forward in cybersecurity, we will soon no longer be competitive".
Figure 1: Security gaps per sector
Dreamlab Technologies scanned the Swiss cyberspace for known security vulnerabilities, revealing more than 106,577 critical problems. The education and healthcare sector as well as administration are particularly exposed.
"Corona gave digitalisation a strong push," says Nicolas Mayencourt. Due to the pandemic, many workers and employers had to switch, quite suddenly, to remote work. Products could only be sold online. Classrooms had to shift immediately to cyberspace, with no preparation. In a very short span of time, companies and organisations worldwide had to upgrade their IT infrastructure to support all these changes.
The pressure to maintain services and remain competitive was immense, with tight time constraints meaning that safety precautions were frequently forgotten. "This is a fire hazard," warned Nicolas Mayencourt. "We need to stop being so naïve." Known leaks will be exploited - sooner rather than later. Everyone is responsible, he says: from ordinary users to software developers to company CEOs and federal officials. Cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility.
Read the full article: https://www.zuonline.ch/die-schweiz-unterschaetzt-die-gefahr-aus-dem-netz-818903669859
