The geopolitical situation is increasingly placing authorities and private companies in the focus of cyber criminals. After organizations from Switzerland, Finland, Sweden and Germany have already been affected by waves of attacks in recent months, the attackers have now targeted French government websites. The attackers claim to have paralyzed 17,000 IP addresses and devices as well as more than 300 domains.

Rebecca Roche, Senior Account Executive - Public Sector at Myra Security, answers the most important questions about the current situation in this interview.

Attackers use DDoS attacks to restrict the availability of data, what risks does this pose for society?

Rebecca Roche: Our connected world relies on the permanent transfer of data in order to handle critical digital processes. The availability, integrity and security of this data must be guaranteed at all times. We have already seen in the past how cyberattacks on hospitals, for example, have restricted emergency coordination and thus cost lives - such scenarios must be prevented.

How do organizations need to position themselves from an IT security perspective in order to defend against attacks of this kind?

If you only react when the attack occurs, you already have to deal with downtime and costs. Proactively securing all critical digital processes while taking security by design into account is therefore the best way to get ahead of attackers. We need to actively live cyber security awareness - securing digital services must be just as natural as wearing a seatbelt in a car.

Which industries are most impacted by cybercrime?

The vast majority of attackers are after money. We therefore see that attacks usually take place where the assets are located. This means primarily in critical sectors such as public authorities, finance or healthcare. This is where cyber criminals can build up the greatest pressure with their attacks to demand ransoms. The data processed there is also in high demand on the black market on the darknet. At Myra's Security Operations Center, we have noticed a significant increase in attacks on administrative authorities in recent months. The number of malicious requests increased by 59 percent in 2023.

What does an emergency plan look like in the event of an acute attack?

Even in the event of an acute attack, emergency measures can still be taken to contain the effects of a cyberattack. As a protection service provider, we have the opportunity and the technology to help quickly and unbureaucratically. However, damage has already been done at this point. Preventive protection is therefore preferable in any case.