New cyber strategy aims to take Switzerland to the top of the world

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The goal is ambitious. Switzerland aims to become a global pioneer in cybersecurity. This is stated in the new national cyber strategy (NCS) that the federal government published this week. “Switzerland is one of the world’s leading centers of cybersecurity knowledge, education and innovation,” reads the grand vision.

Until then, however, there is still a long way to go. According to the International Telecommunication Union’s “Global Cybersecurity Index 2020”, Switzerland ranks only 42nd out of a total of 182 countries assessed. It is therefore behind countries such as Tanzania, Hungary and Kazakhstan.

“Becoming a world leader is not easy. In addition to major time and financial investments, this also requires a culture change – and that takes time,” says Alina Matyukhina (28), global head of cyber security for products at Siemens.

Why a new strategy is needed

Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important as digitization continues. This is evident from the recent attacks on the SBB or the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” and CH-Media a few weeks ago. Cyberattacks in Switzerland are increasing by about 30 percent every year. More than 80 percent of Swiss companies report having already been the victim of an attack – and the trend continues.

For that reason, the Federal Council already approved the new strategy at its meeting of April 5, 2023. On Thursday, the NCS was also adopted by the conference of cantonal directors of justice and police.

The new strategy aims to enable Switzerland to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digitization while minimizing the threat of cyber-attacks – an ambitious goal. The further one progresses on the path of digitization, the greater the threats become. Nevertheless, Matyukhina considers the goal achievable: “The goal of the federal government is quite realistic. With a strong economy, good infrastructure and a highly educated workforce, Switzerland has everything it takes to achieve this goal.”

The strategic goals

Probably the most important goal is the so-called self-empowerment. Switzerland should use its science and innovation sites for this to become a world leader when it comes to cybersecurity. Even more important is the self-reliance of the population. They need to be better informed about cyber risks in order to gain more confidence in dealing with digital services.

This is so crucial because studies show that 90 percent of all cyber-attacks are caused by human error or carelessness. A cyber attack on a Swiss SME causes an average damage of CHF 100,000. However, in the case of larger data breaches, the damage can also run into the millions.

The Confederation and the cantons must also lay the foundations for secure digital services and infrastructures. The capacity to detect, prevent and respond to cyber-attacks also needs to be strengthened. Intensive cooperation between the federal government, cantons, industry and research is crucial for this. To coordinate this, the federal government is setting up a steering group consisting of experts from the various domains of cybersecurity.

Source:Blick