Thousands of Swiss Servers Have “Serious” Security Vulnerabilities – the Sunday News

Swiss servers have serious security vulnerabilities

100,000 servers in Switzerland have recently discovered security vulnerabilities. Half of them were serious, the “NZZ am Sonntag” wrote based on an evaluation by the cybersecurity company Dreamlab Technologies. The majority of these are servers of authorities, administrations and educational and health institutions. According to the “NZZ am Sonntag”, the gaps have been known for more than a year. IT specialists in parliament also confirmed the lack of protection against the newspaper. Dreamlab boss Nicolas Mayencourt expressed surprise in the “SonntagsZeitung” that “the federal government and other institutions have now been misled”. He assumes that other countries where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi gave a speech and there were no attacks had a functioning defense mechanism.

Hackers have also gotten their hands on private data

In addition to operational data from the federal government, hackers have also obtained information from private individuals. These were completed administrative forms, passports, identity cards and insurance cards, as “Le Matin Dimanche” wrote. On May 23, the ransomware attack on IT service provider Xplain became known. The publication of federal data by the hackers became known as early as June 3. The federal police service (Fedpol) and the federal customs and border control service (BAZG), the SBB and the cantonal police, among others, have been affected. “I have worked on many data breaches in Europe and the US, but I have never seen anything like this,” an expert told the newspaper.

Many landlords are asking for interest rate hikes that are too high

Almost half of all rent increases checked so far by a rent calculator turn out to be too high. In the canton of Zurich, for example, more than 5,000 tenants have analyzed their increase since the beginning of June. 48 percent were recommended to contest this, as a spokesperson for the Zurich tenants’ association told SonntagsZeitung. Tenants have 30 days to do so. The tenants’ association is behind the computer. The Owners’ Association recommends landlords to check all rental contracts for possible adjustments.

DDPS wants to define “boundaries of neutrality”.

The Special Committee on Defense (DDPS) aims to define the boundaries of neutrality in international cooperation. That writes the “NZZ am Sonntag” on the basis of research. The focus on neutrality was previously unknown. According to the newspaper, he was criticized in parliament. The new State Secretariat headed by Defense Minister Viola Amherd is also known as the State Secretariat for Security Policy. More than a quarter of the staff of the General Secretariat DDPS will move to the new State Secretariat. There are four divisions: Foundations and Anticipation Security Policy, Domestic Security Policy Cooperation, International Security Cooperation and Information Security Services. This is evident from an internal message to VBS employees, writes the “NZZ am Sonntag”.

SP wants measures to regulate AI

In a note, the SP 20 proposes measures to regulate artificial intelligence (AI). These include a framework law and rules to protect people against discrimination or controlling authorities, as the “SonntagsZeitung” wrote. The party wanted to avoid a “democratic disaster”, according to the newspaper. The Federal Council wants to show by 2024 that action is needed in the field of AI, said Federal Councilor Albert Rösti recently. Common people agreed that the technologies involved dangers. However, according to the center, the economy should not be curtailed.

The Swiss suffer from high drug prices – but use them anyway

According to a survey, the majority of Swiss people suffer from excessively high drug prices. Nevertheless, they prefer more expensive original preparations to generics, as the “SonntagsZeitung” wrote based on an evaluation by the pharmaceutical association Interpharma. The co-director of the GFS Bern research institute, Urs Bieri, interpreted the contradiction as a desire for more state regulation. The state should intervene in drug prices, but not in health insurance benefits, he told the Sunday paper. Despite the highest costs in the world, the Swiss health system is popular, wrote “Le Matin Dimanche”. Only one percent of respondents rated it negative.

IT problems in Bern’s financial administration

Due to IT problems, defaulters have not received a reminder from the Bern Tax Office. According to “SonntagsBlick”, it was not known how many unpaid buses have leaked. The automated reminder process has since been discontinued, the finance department said. Experts would work on improving the system. The reminders must be sent with a delay. Bern’s financial administration had converted its accounting to the SAP software. CHF 90 million had been budgeted for the switch. Technical problems have already resulted in wages and bills not being paid.

Swiss universities are investigating measures against sanctioned Russian applicants

ETH Zurich has commissioned a legal advice on Russian students. The university wants to clarify how to deal with applications from sanctioned Russian institutions, she tells the “NZZ am Sonntag”. The University of St. Gallen is exploring a new legal basis to deal with possible misuse of knowledge. More than a thousand Russian students are currently enrolled in the 13 largest Swiss universities, the newspaper writes. They did not disclose whether they had previously studied at sanctioned universities. The universities carefully reviewed the applications.

St. Bernards should also be able to protect sheep

In addition to the dog breeds Montagne des Pyrénées and Pastore Abruzzese, other breeds should also be allowed to protect herds. The Federal Environment Agency (FOEN) received corresponding applications from cantons, a spokeswoman for “SonntagsBlick” said. The applications could be examined in connection with the adjustment of the hunting regime, the ministry said. Whether this happens remains open. Anatolian Shepherd Dogs are already used in the canton of Graubünden. The farmers do not receive any subsidy for this. In the canton of Valais, for example, farmers also depend on Saint Bernards. According to “SonntagsBlick,” farmers also import dogs from abroad. (con/sda)