RRI Live!

Listen to Radio Romania International Live

Cybersecurity in Europe

The most recent report from the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has been issued, pointing to a hike in cyberattacks

Cybersecurity in Europe
Cybersecurity in Europe

, 06.11.2020, 13:30

The most recent report from the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has been issued, pointing to a hike in cyberattacks, which it says are becoming more and more sophisticated, better directed and more widespread, most times with impunity. In most cases, the motivation is mostly financial. The consequences of such attacks are fairly hard to quantify, and sometimes they are quite dramatic.


Our guest on Radio Romania was Andrei Bozeanu, and expert with the National Center for Response to Cybersecurity Incidents. He talked to us about one such case, which occurred in September, an attack against a hospital in Dusseldorf, which led to the death of a woman who could not get the proper help in time:

“Unfortunately, recently in Germany we had the first human victim, who lost their lives because of a ransomware attack. Basically, it was a virus which, the moment it took control of the hospitals network, encrypted all the data, which had a negative impact on the treatment that the patient needed. I believe this should raise alarms, since we live in a world in which a cyberattack may have real world consequences on human life, reason for which we have to take all these things very seriously.”



Among the most dangerous attack vectors right now are e-mails. For instance, according to experts, over the last few months, several public and private entities in Romania have been strongly affected by a series of EMOTET malware attacks, which exploit vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows systems, using links or infected attachments such as PDFs and documents. At the European level, there is a rise in phishing attacks, spam attacks, and attacks targeted specifically at social networks, the ENISA analysis shows. The healthcare context had an exacerbating role in all this, since the pandemic forced a massive increase in use of the online environment. Working and studying from home, with a massive increase in teleconferencing are some of the factors that led to this. This trend is confirmed by suppliers of digital solutions, who said that, in years previous, companies were rather reticent, and focused on priorities, but lately the number of companies focused on this area is rising. Experts point out that multiple risks are on the rise, once work behavior changed, and there was a very speedy adoption of new technologies, without a solid understanding of them, starting with the multitude of applications we use more and more to communicate.


A reaction is needed to match the threat, which should include a very strong educational component, says Mihai Sebe from the European Institute in Romania:

“Unfortunately, cyberattacks risk becoming the new normal, and any action and investment at the European level has to take this into account. Investments will have to be boosted in terms of the physical infrastructure, but I believe more so in terms of educating users. An information system is as strong as the users are educated. Also, one important aspect that the report points out is that there is a massive expansion in fake shopping websites, which mimic real ones, and that incur a lot of losses for citizens. Also noticeable was increased use of social media platforms to launch attacks, in addition to the already known problems of online disinformation and the spread of fake news about the pandemic. Also on the rise is cyberbullying, which affects mostly young people, but not only, as well as all sorts of digital attacks. They are mostly financially motivated, extorting significant amounts of money from victims. But there are also state and non-state actors initiating them, which are not always financially motivated.”



In this context, the EU has decided to take firm measures of consolidating its security capacity. One very important element is investing in human resources, and developing new applications, as well as measures to secure the infrastructure, says Mihai Sebe:

“The measures include political measures, and greater involvement from member states in punishing the perpetrators. I would also mention, very importantly, that this summer in July the EU issued its first indictments against attackers, namely six persons and three entities responsible for cyberattacks. These sanctions include travel bans and freezing of assets, as well as forbidding any EU citizens from providing funds to those on the blacklist. I believe that this political component is very important as a deterrent, in addition to the educational component.”



The EU has announced firm measures to consolidate its security: updating its legislation that is relevant to cybersecurity, and adopting a new cybersecurity strategy by the end of this year.

Photo: ckstockphoto / pixabay.com
The Future Starts Today Friday, 22 November 2024

The Future of Healthcare in Romania

  The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that up-to-date health-related data is a critical instrument in effective public health measures and...

The Future of Healthcare in Romania
Photo: ckstockphoto / pixabay.com
The Future Starts Today Friday, 15 November 2024

A Result That Everyone Cares About

The outcome of the US presidential election and how it will influence global developments is at the center of international attention. The return to...

A Result That Everyone Cares About
Energy (foto: EdWhiteImages / pixabay.com)
The Future Starts Today Friday, 08 November 2024

Energy Objectives

The European Union’s net greenhouse gas emissions are now 37% below 1990 levels, while the GDP grew by 68% over the same period, demonstrating...

Energy Objectives
Klaus Iohannis and Maia Sandu (photo: presidency.ro)
The Future Starts Today Friday, 01 November 2024

The Republic of Moldova Closer to the EU

The citizens of the Republic of Moldova voted, on October 20, in favor of amending the country’s Constitution to support its accession to the...

The Republic of Moldova Closer to the EU
The Future Starts Today Friday, 18 October 2024

October, the European month of cybersecurity

The European Cyber Security Month is an annual campaign that promotes awareness and best practices in online cyber security, providing information on...

October, the European month of cybersecurity
The Future Starts Today Friday, 11 October 2024

The Pace of Aging

“Youth is about optimism, well-being, and a goal to fight for” – this is the creed that underpinned the work of Ana Aslan, one of...

The Pace of Aging
The Future Starts Today Friday, 04 October 2024

Major plan for the re-industrialization of Romania

For the first time in the last 35 years, a major plan for the re-industrialization of the country was announced in Romania. With a value of 3 billion...

Major plan for the re-industrialization of Romania
The Future Starts Today Friday, 20 September 2024

Energy for the future

    Over the past few years, the European Union has managed to withstand critical risks to its security of energy supply, regain control...

Energy for the future

Partners

Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român Muzeul Național al Țăranului Român
Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS Liga Studentilor Romani din Strainatate - LSRS
Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online Modernism | The Leading Romanian Art Magazine Online
Institului European din România Institului European din România
Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti Institutul Francez din România – Bucureşti
Muzeul Național de Artă al României Muzeul Național de Artă al României
Le petit Journal Le petit Journal
Radio Prague International Radio Prague International
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României Muzeul Național de Istorie a României
ARCUB ARCUB
Radio Canada International Radio Canada International
Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” Muzeul Național al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti”
SWI swissinfo.ch SWI swissinfo.ch
UBB Radio ONLINE UBB Radio ONLINE
Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl Strona główna - English Section - polskieradio.pl
creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti creart - Centrul de Creație Artă și Tradiție al Municipiului Bucuresti
italradio italradio
Institutul Confucius Institutul Confucius
BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți BUCPRESS - știri din Cernăuți

Affiliates

Euranet Plus Euranet Plus
AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters AIB | the trade association for international broadcasters
Digital Radio Mondiale Digital Radio Mondiale
News and current affairs from Germany and around the world News and current affairs from Germany and around the world
Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona Comunità radiotelevisiva italofona

Providers

RADIOCOM RADIOCOM
Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company Zeno Media - The Everything Audio Company