Cross border business networks for an effective cybersecurity defence
ECSO had the pleasure to join the panel discussion on industrial cybersecurity on the 12th May 2022 at the Paris Cyber summit with representatives from the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), CNPP, the European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association (ETNO Association) and Microsoft. Here, ECSO Secretary General Luigi Rebuffi highlighted ECSO’s mission to organise a unified European cybersecurity community to effectively face common cybersecurity threats and explained why it is important to improve cybersecurity education, training and awareness on all levels.
During the last few years, the industry sector has been registering more cybersecurity attacks than ever before. “There are always new kinds of highly specialised cybersecurity threats that keep evolving. Companies need to always be on alert and constantly adapt, even if their cybersecurity systems seem to be highly evolved”, warns ECSO Secretary General Luigi Rebuffi. “At ECSO we continuously grow our business network and increase opportunities of engagement in order to help companies learn from each other. We also aim to prepare those who did not get hit by a cybersecurity attack and we give visibility to proven European cybersecurity solutions. A specific example at ECSO is the newly established European CISO Network where the development of trust is the first aspect that we are addressing to ensure a fruitful future of efficient and trusted information exchange”, he adds.
As proven often enough, cyber-attacks also do not respect borders: they are a global issue. This is why at ECSO the importance of cross border and multilateral collaboration is stressed. “Any cybersecurity strategy in place has to have a global and holistic vision that encompasses economic, regulatory and educational aspects. In addition, information and best practices need to be exchanged across sectors because different fields are equally threatened by very similar attacks” Luigi Rebuffi continues.
Even inside companies cross-department collaboration and threat education needs to be significantly strengthened. Cybersecurity attacks can for instance bypass complex cybersecurity systems by targeting employees with a simple link, which is why they are the first and last line of defence. Companies are therefore called to understand their responsibility and contribute to cybersecurity for all European citizens with constant company-wide education and training. Moreover, in some critical infrastructure companies’ cybersecurity and protocols were initially not designed with security in mind and working with these systems requires a very specific expertise.
Panellists especially highlighted the scarcity of IT knowledge. It is further calculated that by 2025 3.5 million jobs will be available in the cybersecurity sector, which is why ECSO dedicates large effort to improving and harmonising a European cybersecurity education and training system. It is crucial to start now with effective trainings in the private and public sectors on all levels, as well as to improve research technology and development processes to stay informed and ready for the latest cyber security threats that cannot be underestimated.
More information on ECSO’s activities here.
